Sometimes it
is good to be reminded that as radical as something like the Voice to
Parliament is, the Yes campaign is the moderate wing of the “progressive”
left, and there are some who want to go further, much further. Here is one example published in Crikey,
“The “racist” No campaign embodies the reality of this
settler colony and reflects the ideological foundation and spirit of the
Australian nation. It highlights the deeply vicious, anti-Indigenous sentiment
that resides at the core of the Australian national identity. To be Australian
is to accept the narrative about us as a dispossessed and defeated people, as
boongs, petrol-sniffers and dole-bludgers in need of care and control by the
white man who knows best. It is to want to eradicate us, whether that be by
extermination or assimilation.
This is the reality that Yes campaigners refuse to reckon
with, the reality too many mob live with every day. A colony that kills us,
that steals our children, that destroys our land, that poisons our water, blows
up our sacred sites, throws us in prison and then tells us that we are the
problem. It is a nation that tells us we do not belong on our own land.
The “progressive” No campaign embodies the spirit of
revolutionary justice by demanding we confront the history of the Australian
nation. The Yes campaigners will do well to remember that this is a history
that has never been reckoned with in any meaningful way. We do not want to be
recognised by the colonial constitution. We do not want to be part of it at
all. Those who say that this inclusion would be a meaningful step do not speak
for us. We do not want reconciliation. We want a reckoning.
Sovereignty was never ceded
When we say that First Nations sovereignty was never ceded,
we do not simply mean that our spiritual sovereignty remains intact regardless
of the colony’s existence. We mean that we maintain our legitimate claim to the
lands and resources of this continent and the right to determine our own lives
and future and we do not recognise the sovereignty of the illegal invader. We
view the colonial federation as an occupying force whose existence to this day
is predicated on the ongoing theft of our lands and the genocide of our people.
Sovereignty is both our right to our lands and resources and our own
self-determinate governance structures, and First Nations peoples have not
ceded our sovereignty.
The Yes campaign is living in an illusion, where Australia is
a progressive nation, where unity can be found through democratic participation
and racism can be addressed through voting.”[1]
This is a
radical position. This is the position of some on the hard left, people who do
not support the Yes campaign for the Voice, but for very different
reasons than those who are on the right side of the isle in politics.
I think it
is important to amplify voices like this one represented in this piece, because
although the author does not associate themselves with the Yes campaign, they
are giving us a window into some of the more radical views of some of the
people whose voice would be seriously empowered if the Yes campaign were
successful. The Yes campaign has gone to great lengths to distance itself, at
times[2],
from more radical calls for more land rights changes and a treaty and other
policies like Indigenous sovereignty. But the Voice would be designed to give a
constitutionally protected place with influence in parliament to people who had
such views amongst the Indigenous and progressive communities. And they do not like Australia as it
is and want drastic change, as the Crikey piece notes,
“This idea being promoted today that First Nations peoples
have been calling for constitutional recognition since back then is not
accurate. We know that, because we know the history of the political movement
was always about land rights, treaty and self-determination. Political
struggles are not fought over symbolic gestures.”[3]
For some the
Voice does not go anywhere near far enough. It is viewed as tokenistic
symbolism, and a “powerless advisory body.”[4]
Views such
as those expressed above are so far outside of mainstream[5]
Australia, that their association with the Yes campaign has turned many
moderate Australians away from it. And one can understand why, if you berate
everyday Australians as racists and bigots for not agreeing with your political
designs you will turn them off your cause in massive numbers. Especially when
they have no ill will to any one in this country of any particular group or
nationality. Which most Australians don’t. This is one of the most open and
least racist places imaginable on the planet. I know some people will be
shocked to hear that, but our country’s accommodation of varied cultures proves
that most Australians are pretty tolerant and accepting of people from a large
variety of backgrounds. This is not true in many, many places around the world.
Statements
like this for example, “The constitution is not a progressive document, and
this state is not a progressive nation that we can be proud to be included in”[6]
will create great headaches for those who are trying to allay fears that the Voice
is really a window to far more radical change. There are many who support the Voice
to Parliament who do simply want to grant more ability for indigenous
Australians to be heard. But even some of them will balk at being told they
have to go much, much further. Australians are a radically moderate nation,
that is Australia goes out of its way to be very moderate.
We should
also recognize that a no vote will not stop the radical left from going
further, as this piece again notes,
“What should we do in an Australia that has voted No?...
…As a start, we need to demand truth-telling across this
continent. We need an end to the theft of our babies and the locking away of
our children. We need to stop the murder of our people at the hands of police
and lynch mobs, and we need to take police guns out of communities. We need to
eradicate poverty, illiteracy, and poor health from our reality. We need to
demand reparations for slavery and stolen wages, and ultimately, we need to
take back the land and natural resources that are rightfully ours.”[7]
There are
those who see Australia as a totalitarian state with a thin veneer of
liberalism painted over it. The writer of this piece is seeking to paint child
protection programs and dealing with youth crime as a form of oppression. I
know people who live in indigenous communities and some are a pleasure to live
in and others are not, and the levels of crime in the latter drive everyone, indigenous
or not, crazy with frustration. I have spoken to police officers firsthand
about some of the issues of youth crime and it is a genuine problem,
especially in some indigenous communities.
No one
denies our nation is not perfect, and that it has a long way to go in many
areas. But I suspect many of us would disagree about what those areas are.
Medical authoritarianism is one I would advocate for solving, whereas others
would disagree. There are other big areas that need addressing, like our over
reliance on foreign trade and immigration, and many other areas well.
Australians
need to recognize that the Yes campaign is the moderate wing of a far more
radical progressive movement who would like to go a long way in dismantling the
society we currently have. Be aware of this. A no vote will not stop their
advocacy, indeed, it may even deepen their support and motivate them to advocate
more. This does not mean we should vote yes, because we should not, it just
means we need to recognize that our nation has other challenges coming ahead.
List of References
[1] Keiran
Stewart-Assheton, 2023, “We don’t want reconciliation. We want a reckoning”,
Crikey, https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/we-don-t-want-reconciliation-we-want-a-reckoning/ar-AA1h4XMD?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=aac76d84cf4e41e5a9600cf1a8a8101e&ei=10
[2] At
some other times it has appeared to align itself with the more radical policies.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5]
Which let’s be honest, Christians do not always align with anyway.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Ibid.
No comments:
Post a Comment