Chapter 5

Lok Sabha 

  Sonal Malhotra, leader of the National Democratic Alliance and Prime Minister of India approached the speaker’s podium in the Lok Sabha-the lower house of the Indian parliament. For once, there was silence in the chamber. Opposition MP's watched him intently. He could feel the gazes of his own MP's on his back. There were hushed murmurs coming from the gallery. The quiet was slightly off-putting. The lampooning cat-calls, the shouted questions, the groans of mockery that usually filled the chamber were, Malhotra realised, a blanket you could hide behind, even when you were thundering into the microphone. The silence made him feel...exposed.

He buttoned up his jacket and roundly stared at each section of the chamber, the gallery, opposition MP's. Let them see his resolve.

   'Madame speaker, in light of the tragic and utterly unjustifiable death of some twenty-four thousand Indian nationals, at the hands of the Australian Navy, we convene a special parliamentary session. Today, both sides of parliament affirm our solidarity with the families of those who lost their lives in the sinking of the Tamil-Nadu. We affirm our universal condemnation of these actions, and that our resolve in gaining reparations from Australia will not waver. Today we send our condolences and our hearts to the families of the victims, so needlessly taken before their time.

   'To the families of the deceased we say: Nothing can bring your loved ones back, but take strength from the knowledge that in their deaths, redress will be vigorously pursued.

   'Today we will also clarify the will of the Indian people on the issue of climate change refugees, and the responsibilities that developed countries have in supporting us in addressing the compelling problems we face as a result of their wanton abuse of the environment over centuries.

   Hereafter we make it firm Indian policy to not only support, in principle, the concept of retroactive culpability on climate change, as pertaining to those developed nations that we deem fit to nominate.

   'In addition, it is now the policy of the Indian government to protect the rights of those citizens seeking to exercise their rights under retroactive culpability status.

   'I ask you this. Why should the Indian citizen, in seeking a better life for himself, and his family, by way of removing himself from his traditional home, now made unlivable by the affliction of extreme weather events, for which he has no responsibility, face the risk of death at the hands of the very governments who are responsible for his hardship, for his dilemma?

   'Our strident belief is that he should not! Our strident belief is that when Indian nationals exercise these rights, destination countries should do all they can to accept and integrate these refugees into their societies. We believe retroactively culpable countries owe climate refugees this basic human right.

   'From this point forward, it is our policy that any citizen exercising his rights in this fashion will be spared protection by the Indian government. In this, both sides of the chamber are in unanimous agreement. For this, I acknowledge and thank the opposition parties.

   'Our policy is not to organise the relocation of Indian nationals to other states without the consent of the receiving nations. However, any Indian citizen with the wherewithal, the desire, the inclination and strength of character to exercise their rights in this respect will gain the protection of the Indian government.

'We will never allow the tragedy, the catastrophe, of the Tamil-Nadu, to ever be repeated...'

   He swept from the lectern and strode to the exit riding a wave of thunderous applause.

 **                    **                    **                    **                    **                    **                    **

 Sydney

    The afternoon sun beat down relentlessly, and the harbor sparkled, an ultramarine diamond criss-crossed by yellow green ferries. The sails of the Sydney Opera House cut blazing white sales through the backdrop of office towers behind it.

   Jacqueline Lafitte glanced at it briefly, enjoying the spectacle. A beautiful summer’s day, she thought, trying not to reflect on the fact it was only the start of spring. She’d take her silver linings where she could.

   Despite the aberrant weather, she never got sick of the view from Kirribilli House, situated as it was on the easternmost point of Sydney’s North Shore. Built in the 1850’s, the House was a twin-gabled cottage; far smaller and more modest the Opera House, but as home to the Prime Minister when in Sydney, arguably much more important.

   She snapped the venetians shut and sat at the head of the conference table. She slid a plate with neatly folded chopsticks to the side, flicking a piece of chicken onto the desk. Popping it into her mouth, she picked up a chopstick and stabbed it at the screen on the far wall.

   ‘Watch this, ladies and gentlemen. Watch it very closely. I am open to suggestions as to how we should solve this unmitigated catastrophe.’

   She did her best to compose herself. She was a successful politician and therefore used to friends and close colleagues disappointing her, or acting in their own interests instead of hers. But after all these years she thought she’d finally forgotten all about Glen Robertson, thrust him right out of her head. Well, he‘d come crashing back into her mind like an uppercut to the jaw. He was all she could think about. All she was supposed to think about. If she didn’t know it was ridiculous, she would’ve almost thought he’d done it deliberately. Cocky bastard.

   Louise Abbott studied the PM. She'd been in Kuala Lumpur for the East Asia Summit, involved in trade talks with ASEAN nations. The official line was she’d come back to Canberra to be part of the crisis talks she was now attending. In reality, the Indian delegation had threatened to completely derail the entire process if Australia didn't immediately withdraw, so, diplomatically isolated and politically marginalised, she'd been on the first flight back to Canberra.

   She glanced again at Jacqui. Lafitte was renowned as a skilled negotiator, and law-maker, composed and dignified in public, warm and endearing in private. Nevertheless, she was undeniably beautiful, and Abbott felt she got an easy ride from artless men and a sympathetic public due to her looks. Abbott felt behind her visage was a paucity of substance, like a wedding cake hollowed out from within.

   The big screen at the end of the room came to life. Grainy military images from a hovering drone showed the Seahawk helicopter being fired on. It's frantic struggle back to the Melbourne trailing smoke, a small splash as it ditched in the ocean. Fast-forward to the Broome entering the area, searching for survivors. The little craft just seemed to be sitting in the ocean, the small figures, from the height of the drone, seemed fairly non-plussed. Any sense of urgency was lost in the footage.

   From on high, without sound, it all looked very undramatic.

   The coal carrier moved into shot and slowly closed the gap to the little patrol boat. The Broome looked like a  toy, with no business in the open ocean. The Tamil Nadu overran the patrol boat, which disappeared completely from view for some seconds, only to resurface in the wake of the ship, upside down and in many pieces.

   Fast forward again; the sudden flash of the torpedo, the writhing ocean and the ship seemed to arch into the air. An inset showed the perspective from the Melbourne's camera, revealed the ship visibly bowing in the middle as the rear lifted out of the water. Soon after, people emerging onto the deck, swimming away from the ship as it sank. The footage ended.

   Abbott spoke into the silence. ‘This is not what we had in mind when we said stop the boats,’ she said to Futcher.

   He closed a notepad in which he’d been writing. ‘You did not? Obviously we misinterpreted the directive that no more ships are to reach the Australia coast.’

   ‘Holloway, how many people were on that ship when it went down?’ asked Lafitte.

   Holloway couldn’t believe what he was about to say. ‘Our best estimates come from satellite images of the crowd on the dock prior to leaving Kolkata. We counted about twenty-five thousand. We rescued six hundred and seventeen. In all probability, over twenty-four thousand people went down with that ship.. It’s the largest single loss of life in maritime history.’

   ‘An ironic touch, sending them in coal ships,’ said Lafitte, almost to herself. ‘Right, what are the Indian’s telling us?’

   ‘Their figures match ours.’

   ‘Those bastards engineered this crisis from the bottom up. Malhotra wanted a war to keep his coalition together and this Robertson cowboy handed it to him on a platter,’ Abbott seethed.

   ‘That’s irrelevant now,’ said Lafitte. ‘Malhotra basically admitted all that in his speech, and Holloway had floated the idea the Indian Navy was on the take. We have to acknowledge the likelihood that large parts of the Indian government are being paid off too.’

   Whittey spoke up. ‘Now we’ve given them an excuse to invoke this retroactive culpability garbage that’s been circulating the UN for years. The Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia all back Malhotra. They have climate problems themselves and need someone to blame. If they start sending ships too we’ll be flooded!’

   ‘It doesn’t matter what the Malaysians and Indonesians say,’ said Lafitte. ‘Only what they do. Obviously they’ll play up the populist aspect of this, Australia bashing is a regional sport. But I don’t see them doing anything about it, this isn’t their problem.’

   ‘We should take the Israeli approach,’ said Abbott. ‘Instead of placating the Indians, we should hit them so hard nobody else tries it on.’

   ‘No.’ said Lafitte. ‘We’re not butchers, and we’re not becoming international pariahs on my watch. Since Malhotra’s speech, three more coal ships from Chittagong have put to sea. It’s almost certain they’re heading to Kolkata to pick up refugees. Question is, will Malhotra deliver on his promise to escort them?’

   Futcher looked up from his notepad. ‘There’s been a build-up of frigates and destroyers in the Bay of Bengal, and we think at least three are in the area for reasons other than normal transit, refit or other standard operational circumstance. Our assessment is that they’re forming an escort force to protect ships leaving from Kolkata.

   'Ok, here's the deal.' Lafitte leaned forward slightly and let her gaze settle on each of them.

'Malhotra is giving the go ahead for these people smugglers to do their thing, with government protection. They aren't even people smugglers really, just travel agents, since they’re sanctioned. They’re going to send hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of refugees over to us, and if we try to stop them, we'll end up in a shooting war with the Indian navy. If we don't stop them, we'll have millions of the poorest, least educated slum dwellers from south-east Asia sucking up our resources and undermining our society. My position, the government’s position, is to reject the notion of retroactive culpability. No more tankers with refugees are getting through. I need a full assessment of our war fighting capability. Game this out-can we do enough to deter Indian aggression without actually sinking any more of their ships? What if other south-east Asian states become involved? Other developed countries are going to watch this very closely because it has consequences for them too. If we let them in by the millions, they'll be expected to. Any questions? Good.' She looked at each of them in turn. ‘Oh, and they’re not refugees anymore. They’re illegal arrivals. I'm going to call the Americans. Let's find out if all the blood and treasure we spent on this alliance the last hundred years is worth anything.'

 **                    **                    **                    **                    **                    **                    **

    Lafitte sat in parliament, flanked by her senior ministers. She absently fingered the silver pendant around her neck. It was a simple piece that Glen had given to her after his first command and she’d worn it ever since. She liked its subtle elegance.

   The legislative chamber was full-no MP’s had anything better to be doing today. The public gallery over flowing, as were the press stands. Journalists too far down the pecking order to get gallery access were crowding the halls of Parliament House, waiting for their colleagues to relay information.

  Abbott leaned over. ‘You sure you’ve got this?’ she murmured.

   ‘I’m sure. We all agree. They tried to force our hand.’ She spared Abbott a wry look. ‘It’s too late to back down now, anyway.’

   She tamped down her anxiety. This was decision-making orders of magnitude more important than any decision she’d made before. She knew that as important as her decision, was the confidence she portrayed in executing it. Her resolve had always inspired people from all walks of life, from the halls of corporate power to the dregs of welfare row. People trusted her.

   Now, she had to trust herself.

   The Indians had delivered her a choice. The world was breaking apart, and hundreds of millions of people were being swept from their homes like boats on a storm surge. Most were poor. Most blamed rich countries like Australia. If Australia folded, it would open the floodgates around the world. She stood, buttoned her jacket, and strode to the podium.

   It was no choice at all.

   'Madame Speaker, the honourable leader of the opposition, members of parliament: I stand before you today, in my capacity as the elected leader of the Australian people, to put forward the sentiment and will of the Australian people in relation to the tragic sinking of the Tamil Nadu, the tragic sinking of the HMAS Broome and the shooting down of an Australian Navy helicopter, with such terrible, unprecedented loss of life.

   'I thank the leadership of the opposition, with whom we have consulted extensively regarding this crisis, and from whom we have full and unwavering support for today’s response.

   'The people of Australia are united as one in expressing our deepest and most sincere condolences to the families of those Indian nationals so tragically lost at sea. These events will be forever etched into our national consciousness, and for Australia to have a part in such a horrific event is a matter of genuine and profound regret. To the people of India, we can only offer our most heartfelt sympathy for your loss. Were we able to make things right, we would stop at no lengths to do so.

   'The Australian people understand the grief, the frustration and the anger being expressed in India at present. We see and hear the calls for retaliation from various quarters, and we take this moment to commend Prime Minister Malhotra for his wisdom and his restraint. We hope that cooler heads can prevail.

   'We also use this opportunity to outline the events leading up to the sinking of the Tamil Nadu. Such events, deplorable as they are, must be placed in context. In the months leading up to this tragedy, three ships carrying over eighty thousand illegal immigrants came to our shores. Conveyed by retired bulk freighters, these ships, by virtue of their size, were able to circumvent Australian border protection officials, including our navy.

   'These ships all originated their journeys from Kolkata. They were all conveying Indian nationals. Of deep concern to the Australian government was a clear and complete disregard for Australian border sovereignty. Also of concern was a notable lack of response from the Indian authorities, who were notified of, and aware of the passage of all three ships.

  'The loss of untold thousands of Indian nationals is an appalling event. However, such events do not happen in a vacuum. An Australian navy helicopter, en-route to land a party of engineers, medics and a pilot to guide the ship back to Indian territorial waters, was shot down by crew or passengers of the Tamil Nadu. The Australian patrol boat HMAS Broome, in attempting nothing more than to rescue the crew of the helicopter, was rammed by the Tamil Nadu. There were no survivors. In total, 38 Australian sailors lost their lives.

   ‘The events leading to the sinking of the Tamil Nadu are still under investigation. However the Australian government contends that if the crew of the Tamil Nadu had not acted with such aggression, if indeed the ship had been headed off by Indian authorities before reaching Australian territory, this situation could easily have been avoided.

   She paused for a moment. She’d never seen the chamber so utterly silent. 'Without apportioning blame it is important for both sides to be heard, such that the most appropriate response can be developed.

   'Today we also outline the Australian response to the notion of retroactive culpability. This concept originated at the turn of the century during climate negotiations, where developing nations contended that, as the responsible parties for greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, developed nations had to shoulder the majority of the cost and effort in mitigating climate change.

   'We reject this notion in its entirety. It is impossible to historically and quantitatively apportion blame for today’s weather patterns, by nation, in any reasonable, or fair manner.

   'It was the great American leader Benjamin Franklin who said, and I quote; “Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement and success have no meaning.”

   'Civilisational growth and progress are as intrinsic to human nature as nurturing a family. Since humans diverged from primates we have sought better, more productive ways to feed ourselves, enhance our security and further our species, creating the intricate web of civilisation in the process.

   'One stage in this eons-long evolution is the industrial era. Unfortunately, this period of development creates large amounts of pollution. But progress is the natural state of humanity.

   'Progress, change, a constant pushing of the boundaries are what it is to be human. It is part of the human condition. This curiosity led us from agrarian, to industrial, to information societies. To apportion blame upon those nations that led the way for all others, a path which they follow gladly, is to accuse those societies of the crime of being curious, of extending ourselves, of being human beings.

   'Another basic human tenent of human nature is the desire to have and to rear a family. The people of some nations have done this to a much larger extent than others. Australia has twenty-five million people. India has one point two billion people. The environmental stress created by all those mouths to feed, all the resources consumed to live, makes Australia's historical contribution to climate change a paltry thing indeed.’

   Her voice became iron. ‘It would be opportunistic indeed to stand here and suggest that Indians, by vastly overpopulating their land, by stripping their forests and fouling their waterways, by pushing their environment to the limit, by not taking full advantage of contraceptive technology have, over the course of their history, been the architects of their own demise. Imagine if there were only thirty million Indians? There would be room, and resources for them all to live comfortably.

   She spread her arms wide. 'Retroactive active culpability for having too many children? Such a suggestion, made in seriousness, would be rejected widely and completely. Who are we to question the right of Indians to a family?’ Silence was her answer.

   ‘And…so…we…don’t. Yet here we are, being judged. We, in Australia, ask the question; what right does any nation have to question the historical imperative of Australia to pursue that other very human activity-progress and economic security?

   'We fully reject the notion of retroactive culpability. We strongly assert our right to border sovereignty, and will take all necessary measures to defend this right. We will choose who comes to Australia, and the manner in which they arrive...’