Letters | Australia’s Scott Morrison should know that ‘handshake diplomacy’ cannot be forced

Anyone who has been watching the Australian fires has seen much of the horror that nature can produce. There has been criticism of the way the federal government has handled the disaster and even criticism of the prime minister, Scott Morrison, and of how he shook hands with the people he went out to meet.

Shaking hands as a greeting was, in the past, a sign of peace, showing that you were not holding weapons, although the gesture must be genuine and equitable. There have been handshakes that symbolised change and hope: Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat in 1993, Raul Castro and Barack Obama in 2016 and Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in in 2018 – although not all led to successful negotiations.

There have been a number of reports on Prime Minister Morrison’s lack of empathy (“After Hawaii holiday, Australia PM roasted for video heralding his fire announcements”, January 5). He met many of those affected by the bush fires with a handshake, although some declined it for various reasons and that should be their right.

One other point. A normal part of any disaster, such as the fires we have had in Australia, is the donation of goods or money. Generosity is the norm for people. One of the odd quirks that has arisen lately is that it can sometimes be difficult to donate cash. Like most people, I toss a few coins into collection tins when I see them or when people knock on my door – but not everyone accepts cash.