Sunday 8th March 1998

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Recent stories exclusive to  subscribers of the Australian National News of the Day:

Suharto and the Indonesian crisis brings new powers...

Extract from the Washington Post report:

"JAKARTA, Indonesia, March 6—Legislators moved today to grant President Suharto sweeping new security powers to deal with the potential social fallout of financial belt-tightening measures in the country's worst economic crisis in three decades.

"The government, meanwhile, announced its intention to subsidise food imports -- an action that technically would violate Indonesia's agreement to implement painful economic reforms as part of a $43 billion bailout package from the International Monetary Fund.

"Details of the soon-to-be expanded power of Suharto, who with 32 years in office is Asia's longest-serving leader, were not spelled out in the draft of the legislation. Ruling Golkar party members said only that the powers could be used in an emergency threatening national unity.

"A similar law was in force until five years ago. The new legislation is to be approved Monday.

"The government has banned demonstrations, but security forces this week have tolerated non-violent student protests.

"Every political move contains a choice: to create order or openness," said Prof. Juwono Sudarsono, a Golkar member. "In an emergency situation, it would be more necessary to create order rather than openness." Sudarsono also said that while the decree would allow Suharto to take any necessary action to put down disturbances, it still would take human rights into consideration."

Latest news the IMF have said that they will delay a US$3 billion payout from the "rescue" package. The payment was supposed to be made next week, but will probably only happen next month putting extreme pressure on the nation and its poverty stricken people.

You say:

Subject: Safeway at Lakes Entrance.

Dear Sir,

Bear with me I am learning to type.

I have been talking with Kerry Harry the local Chemist at Lakes Entrance in VIC. Lakes Entrance is possibly the most popular holiday resort in VIC, Safeway had moved in a while ago, they have squeezed out Service Stations in the area, with there cheap petrol outlet, and now they are after other businesses in the town.

The Chemist is willing to talk to anybody in the Press about this situation, with MAI in the news, would you be interested in talking to the Chemist about this problem.

I am 200 miles away from the Lakes, he is not on the Internet or Email, could you advise me on the best way to solve this situation.

Best Wishes
Jack

Subject: Spread, spread, spread

Hello,

not that it might be of great interest to all of you in Canada, New Zealand, Australia and so on what's going on about the MAI in a little Austrian village (6000 inh.), but there's one thing that seems symbolic to me about it:

The anti-MAI-meeting in my home village near Salzburg held yesterday was visited by about 60 people, very emotional discussion, and one of them said, this meeting would have had to be held in Salzburg, not in this village. The leader of the event, Dr.Hans Eder, chairman of InterSol (an organization occupied with INTERnational SOLidarity, intersol@alpin.or.at), answered that he had tried to organize it in Salzburg, BUT THERE WASN'T EVEN A HALL TO BE GOT!

And as everywhere, politically controlled media hush the MAI up totally (in German the expression is "totschweigen", i.e. to keep quiet until it's dead). In January I informed all bigger newspapers, but only one or two short articles appeared in the meantime, and not one in any way critical or at least worried. Its exactly as Ed Deak wrote yesterday: "These guys must have the same PR hack writing their speeches all over the world." But to be serious, what seems more probable is that all this hushing and lying goes top-down. We're talking about sums we can name but in no way imagine in concrete terms, and it would be a wonder if the men behind (I'm sure, there's hardly any woman) weren't ready to do anything within their power to multiply those sums. Hushing and lying, that's what they do, and their henchmen in politics are eager to support them wherever they can. (Compare the Bilderberger Report attached; at least it seems worth thinking about it, although I'm not sure about its seriosity.)

E.g., when Austria joined the EU, we were told by Brigitte Eder (Social Democratic Party of Austria, SPO), who was the government's PR turbo engine and EU shooting star, announced again and again that once Austria was member of the EU, every Austrian would gain ATS 1000,- / month more (= US $ 100,- then). In the meantime it turned out to be a "mistake", or as most of us put it: a naked PR lie. Only the big business has became richer, all the rest of us has already experienced what freedom of investment means. (The EU treaty is for Europe what the MAI will be for the OECD.) We have a ready nuclear power plant in Austria that was not put into operation on account of an anti-nukes plebiscite 20 years ago. BUT in January, about 40% of the shares of the Styrian electric power company – formerly owned by the state, now led "economically" – were bought by one of the biggest French electricity companies. And in France, electricity means: NUKES; more than 80% of its energy is nuclear energy. Aren't we great?! No nukes in Austria! But according to the EU treaty, we sell the energy of our hydroelectric power stations including the companies France (+ Germany) and buy their nuclear energy in return. That's how our energy autarky is sold out. It's like hunting the drug bosses and at the same inviting them to buy up the pharmaceuticals industry.

Next e.g.: Like the German Telekom (who is one step in front), the Austrian is about being privatised and turned into a joint-stock company. During the preparations, in November the call charges system was changed with the firm promise that as a whole, everyone would benefit from it. Local talks became much more expensive, esp. during peak hours, talks abroad and overseas cheaper. Any idiot had foreseen who really would benefit from it. But they kept lying and lying and pushed it through (who should PROVE the opposite?!). In yesterday's newspaper, one could read: "Telephone charges brought more losers." Who among them? Above all, low-income people and those who do not use the phone often. 68,6% of the households pay more than before the reform, 31,4% profit. Who could sue those liars now?

And in Vienna, there's a fight going on between the Trade Unions and the city council who owns the "Wiener Stadtwerke" (public transport, energy supply: gas, electricity) and who is about to privatise them (of course without admitting it by now). For fear of "British conditions (circumstances) where social underdogs fall into bad ways", the Unions say they want to fight this privatization "with all means at disposal in a democracy". (Punch-line of the story: Both the city of Vienna and the Wiener Stadtwerke have been social-democratic strongholds for the whole century!)

Both news in one single newspaper, Salzburger Nachrichten, Fri March 6, 1998.

Lies, lies, lies, IF anything is to be heard at all.

There is only one cure: SPREAD, SPREAD, SPREAD THE TRUTH.

And every time I'm getting desperate about my powerlessness, I remind me of the Mishna saying: "It is not your part to make the work complete, but you are not free either to evade it."

All the best,

Hanspeter Rosenlechner, Salzburg, Austria

Australia is in the process of selling off its Telecom.

Isn't it a trifle coincidental that all over the world governments are making the same moves...

Who's pulling the strings at the top?

One this is for sure it isn't the Australian voter.

Editor

Business:

The new head of a new look BHP is widely predicted to be an American. It is widely predicted that BHP will be broken up and massive retrenchments will follow.

Personal trivia, from the global office:

Another perfect day in paradise.

Have a good one.

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