Ibhalwe nguSue Wareham, Amaparele nokuCasulwa, April 26, 2022
Isiqondiso esihlukanisayo se-AWM mhlawumbe siboniswa kangcono ngokubuyela endimeni esemthethweni - kulokhu njengelungu loMkhandlu we-AWM - wowayengumqondisi uBrendan Nelson. Enye yezimpumelelo ezilimaza kakhulu zika-Nelson njengomqondisi kwakuwukuziba noma ukuhlekisa ukuphikiswa okusabalele nochwepheshe ekuthuthukisweni kabusha okuqhubekayo manje. Kodwa ukwengeza inhlamba ekulimaleni, uNelson uqokwe eMkhandlwini ngesikhathi emele inkampani, iBoeing, eyenza inzuzo enkulu ngezimpi, ngaleyo ndlela eqhubeka nomkhuba ayenawo ngaphambili wokushumeka labo abahlomula ngempi phakathi nesikhumbuzo sayo.
Izinkampani zezikhali eziyisithupha ezinkulu emhlabeni - i-Lockheed Martin, i-Boeing, i-Thales, i-BAE Systems, i-Northrop Grumman ne-Raytheon - zonke zibe nobudlelwano bezezimali neSikhumbuzo eminyakeni yamuva nje.
I-Lockheed Martin, okugxilwe kuyo manje umsebenzi womkhankaso, yenza okwengeziwe imali evela ezimpini nasekuzilungiseleleni kunanoma iyiphi enye inkampani noma kuphi - $ 58.2 billion ngo-2020. Lokhu kumelela i-89% yokuthengiswa kwayo okuphelele, okwenza isibopho esiphelele sokuthi inkampani iqinisekise ukuthi izimpi nokungazinzi kuyaqhubeka. Imikhiqizo yayo ihlanganisa izikhali ezimbi kunazo zonke zokucekela phansi abantu abaningi, okuyizikhali zenuzi manje esezinqatshelwe ngaphansi kweSivumelwano Sokuvinjelwa Kwezikhali Zenuzi sangowezi-2017.
Amakhasimende ka-Lockheed Martin ahlanganisa abanye babahlukumezi kakhulu bamalungelo abantu emhlabeni, njengeSaudi Arabia kanye ne-UAE okuqhunyiswa kwabo ngamabhomu kunomthelela enhlekeleleni yabantu eYemen. Inkampani iphinde yabandakanyeka ekuphenyweni kwezempi, kukho kokubili Iraq futhi I-Guantanamo Bay. Kube yindaba ka izehlakalo eziningi zokungaziphathi kahle e-US emashumini eminyaka amuva nje kunanoma yimuphi omunye usonkontileka wezikhali. Umbiko wehhovisi likaHulumeni wase-US Uchaza indlela u-Lockheed Martin alawula ngayo uhlelo lwe-F-35 eyivimbele imizamo yokunciphisa izindleko nokwandisa ukuziphendulela.
Irekhodi elinjalo lenkampani ngokuqinisekile kumelwe liphakamise imibuzo mayelana nezinqubo zokukhuthala ezithathwe iSikhumbuzo ekugunyazeni ubambiswano lwezezimali. ISikhumbuzo asikwazi ukufaka isandla ngendlela efanele ekukhunjweni nasekuqondweni kokuhlangenwe nakho kwasesikhathini sempi sase-Australia kuyilapho izuza ngokwezimali ekuzibambeni kwempi ngokwayo. Izikhungo zikahulumeni kwezinye izindawo zibhekane nemiphumela yobudlelwano bezezimali nezinkampani ezinomnyombo webhizinisi lawo elibeka engcupheni umgomo wesikhungo. (Bheka, isibonelo, lapha futhi lapha.)
Emasontweni adlule abantu base-Australia abangaphezu kuka-300 bathumele imilayezo kuMqondisi we-AWM kanye noMkhandlu nge- Thola kabusha Isikhumbuzo iwebhusayithi, ikhuthaza ukuthi kumiswe u-Lockheed Martin kanye nazo zonke izimali zenkampani yezikhali eSikhumbuzweni. Ababhali bahlanganisa omakadebona, izisebenzi zangaphambili ze-ADF, izazi-mlando ezisebenzisa isikhumbuzo, ochwepheshe bezempilo ababona ukulimala okubi kwempi, kanye nabantu abaningi abavamile abanabathandekayo abakhunjulwa eHholo Lenkumbulo - bona kanye abantu i-AWM eyadalelwa bona. Imiyalezo yayihlukene futhi isuka enhliziyweni, futhi abaningi bazwakalisa ukucasuka. Owake waba yisikhulu se-RAAF Reserve wabhala “Izindinganiso zika-Lockheed Martin akuwona owami noma lawo abantu base-Australia abaye bawalwela. Sicela unqamule bonke ubuhlobo nenkampani.” Umakadebona waseVietnam wabhala “Angizange ngife ukuze izinkumbulo zabo zingcoliswe ngokuzihlanganisa nenkampani enjalo”.
Isazi-mlando uDouglas Newton sakhuluma ngempikiswano yokuthi izinkampani zezikhali zimane nje ziyizakhamuzi ezikahle zomhlaba wonke imikhiqizo yazo esivikelayo: “Umlando wezinkampani ezihileleke ekwakhiweni kwezikhali ngasese phakathi neminyaka engaphezu kwekhulu umpofu ngendlela emangalisayo. Bangene kaningi emizamweni yokubumba imibono, ukuthonya ezombangazwe, ukungena ezikhungweni zezokuvikela kanye nezinqubomgomo zangaphandle kanye nokuba nomthelela kwabathatha izinqumo. Ukuncenga kwabo kudume kabi.”
Iminikelo yezimali evela ezinkampanini zezikhali eya eSikhumbuzweni yenza iphesenti elincane lesabelomali sesikhungo, kodwa nokho yanele ukuthenga izinzuzo ezinjengamalungelo okuqamba amagama, ukufaka uphawu lwebhizinisi, ukwabiwa kokuya emicimbini emikhulu ye-AWM, nokuyekwa kwenkokhelo yokuqashwa kwendawo.
Izimpi zase-Australia - njengezimpi zanoma yiziphi izizwe - ziphakamisa amaqiniso amaningi anzima eceleni kwamaqhawe. I-AWM akumele isuke kulezo zingxenye zomlando wethu eziphakamisa imibuzo eseshayo mayelana nezimpi ezithile noma impi ngokujwayelekile, noma ezifundweni eziningi okufanele zifundwe mayelana nokuvimbela kwangempela kwezimpi. Nokho lezi zinto bezizogwenywa yizinkampani ezithembele ezimpini ukuze zithole inzuzo.
Umbuzo osobala uwukuthi: Kungani iSikhumbuzo sizifaka engozini yokufeza izinjongo zaso nedumela laso, ngokumelene nezifiso zeningi labantu base-Australia, ngamanani amancane okuxhasa? Okuwukuphela kwabahlomuli kubonakala kuyizinkampani ngokwazo, futhi labo baholi abasemodini ye-khaki engapheli - bakhuphuka ngesikhathi semikhankaso yokhetho - abahola ngokwesaba futhi bafuna isabelomali sezempi esikhula njalo.
Ngaleso sikhathi uMkhandlu we-AWM nawo ubonakala uthunjiwe embonweni wezimpi ezingapheli, futhi ungawunaki umuzwa wokuthi "ungaphinde" wabambi beMpi Yezwe 1 esibahlonipha ngoSuku lwe-Anzac. Amalungu omkhandlu awalingani (ngaphezu kwesigamu samalungu omkhandlu) amasosha amanje noma angaphambili, ngokungafani neningi labantu abashona ezimpini kanye nenzalo yabo ebakhumbulayo. Isigungu esilawulayo se-AWM asimeleli umphakathi wase-Australia. Akusekho noyedwa usomlando eMkhandlwini. Umkhuba obheke ezempi nasekuthengiseni kumele uhlehliswe, kuqalwe ngokuphela koxhaso lwezinkampani zezikhali.
Ekugcineni, uSuku lwe-Anzac akufanele ludlule ngaphandle kokuphindaphinda izingcingo ezikhulayo zokuthi i-AWM ikhumbule zona kanye izimpi isizwe sethu esasungulwa ngazo, iFrontier Wars. Abalweli beZizwe Zokuqala bafa ngezinkulungwane zabo ngenkathi bevikela izwe labo emabuthweni ahlaselayo. Umthelela wokuphucwa kwabo umhlaba usazwakala ngezindlela eziningi namuhla. Kuzo zonke izindaba ezizoxoxwa e-Australian War Memorial, ezazo kufanele zibe phambili naphakathi. Akunakwenzeka ukukhanga i-Lockheed Martins yalo mhlaba.
