Malaysians MPs from all political parties, whether Barisan Nasional or Opposition, should take a common stand in Parliament to demand that the Australian Prime Minister, John Howard repudiate the anti-Asian speech of Queensland Independent MP, Pauline Hanson in the Australian Parliament on Sept. 10 and to take concrete measures to end the outbreak of anti-Asian racism in Australia.
Although the Australian Parliament passed a bipartisan motion last week opposing racism, John Howard had aggravated the situation in refusing to repudiate Pauline Hanson.
The issue for Asians has never been Pauline Hanson but the Australian Prime Minister’s refusal to denounce the anti-Asian speech of the Queensland Independent MP which has resulted in a serious outbreak of anti-Asian racism in Australia.
The Australian Human Rights Commissioner, Chris Sidoti, has admitted that an “outbreak of racism” had occurred and that John Howard’s approach of not naming Hanson had not worked.
Australian mass media had reported an increase in physical and verbal attacks on Asian immigrants, including a white woman bashing a Chinese-Australian woman with a hammer in a public toilet in Sydney’s Chinatown. Singaporeans had been spat on in Queensland and school teachers in Adelaide felt it necessary to hold a racism programme to counter an outbreak of bullying and abuse of Aboriginal and Asian children.
It is unfortunate that John Howard has continued to ignore calls from concerned Australians that he must take a strong and unmistakable stand to condemn Pauline Hanson’s anti-Asian speech and the anti-Asian outbursts.
The Australian tourism industry is now worried that its A$14 billion industry is now at risk unless the perception of racial disharmony could be dispelled and has called on the Australian Prime Minister to fund a A$25 million marketting “rescue package” to combat the growing Asian backlash over the race row, as there has been cancellation of trips to Australia by five Asian tour groups, including a party of 160 Singaporeans.
What is even more unfortunate is that John Howard had disregarded the sensitivities of Asian nations and peoples, who are watching how he would handle this issue in view of his own record of anti-immigration campaign in the 1988 general elections.
Asia and Asian sensitivities do not seem to be important to John Howard, although Australian exports to East Asia in 1995 were A$43.3 billion or 60.5 per cent of total exports.
The time has come for Asian governments and peoples to make clear to John Howard that they expect him to condemn Pauline Hanson’s anti-Asian speech and to take concrete measures to end the anti-Asian outbursts in Australia.
DAP MP for Kota Melaka, Lim Guan Eng, had spoken up in Parliament last Thursday deploring John Howard’s failure to repudiate Hanson’s speech, and I urge MPs from all political parties - whether Barisan Nasional or Opposition - to take a common stand to speak forthrightly in the current Parliament on the issue to demand an end to the outburst of Anti-Asian racism in Australia.
(3/11/96)