A time for decency
What does the global economic crisis and the violent religious extremism, recently on display in Mumbai, have in common? People can so easily be led by the nose. And, become tied to one way of thinking, even if it is destructive and lacking in common human decency.
Capitalism was hailed as the victor after Gorbachev brought perestroika to the former Soviet Union in the late 80s. Since that time, the West’s confidence in its own economic system has grown. Confidence that, until recently, had bordered on arrogance. Capitalism has allowed greed to flourish, to such an extent, that we are now witnessing a meltdown of a system, with global consequences.
No doubt the economy will return to some sense of normality in the future, but the lessons should not be forgotten. Any system that requires constant growth to survive on a planet with finite resources, is surely doomed to fail time and time gain. Any system that promotes greed before common sense -- before the well-being of people and our environment -- cannot be sustained.
The residents of the Sunshine Coast have felt the impacts of greed for decades. The State Government has, and is, insisting on more growth, with developers cheering them on and as a result the Coast constantly fights to protect its biggest asset -- the natural environment. The economy and lining the wallets of a select few, it seems, is more important than even the basic fundamentals of democracy. Even if the economy and its architects have been proven to be faulty and lacking in principle.
Residents on the Sunshine Coast want a focus on sustainability not development. Image Greg Hardwick
Residents of the Coast, and its elected council have made it clear that they want and need a sustainable future. The Sunshine Coast can lead by example and display to the rest of the country, that it is possible. We have the talent right here in our own backyards, as was on display at the recent Sunshine Coast Environment Awards. It’s time the government was reminded that it is the servant of the people. Voters already understand that growth must have its limits.
The hopes and wishes of residents in the Mary Valley have been blatantly ignored by a government determined to build a dam, regardless of the impacts -- be they economic, social, environmental, or ethical. Recently, as our lead story displays, a victory was won with a delay in proceedings of the Traveston Crossing dam. It’s now time for common sense to return and for some human decency to be restored so that the entire idea is scrapped.
Econews has long been an opponent of the dam, based on the wishes of the people, sound scientific facts, and the rule of law. We can no longer stand by and let an elected government sustain an ideology of growth at all costs. A government that has stopped listening to the very people that fund its wages.
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