Sir, – It is very disturbing, to put it mildly, to read that the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration fears “a breakdown in social cohesion” if the Government does not reduce the number of people eligible for asylum (“High asylum numbers a ‘threat to cohesion’ – Minister,” December 16th).
This is a disgraceful abandonment by a Government Minister of his responsibility to work towards communal interconnection and against malign agents who believe that society should be made up of people with identical cultural backgrounds, rather than being the coming together of human beings with diverse characteristics and common aspirations for peaceful and rewarding lives.
If he needs an example of true social cohesion in action, he could look to the bravery of Ahmed al-Ahmed, born in Syria, who risked his own life at Bondi Beach last Sunday evening to save the lives of fellow Australians.
Is the Minister articulating new Government policy (of which there was no mention in his party’s election manifesto)? – Yours, etc,
READ MORE
DAVID McKENNA,
Dublin 8.
