The issue of refugees has been a hot topic in recent months. More than 50 boats with hundreds of refugees have been caught attempting to enter Australia illegally in the past year to seek asylum. Many of them have been placed on Christmas Island, while others have been sent home, as the government deliberates on the best way to tackle this issue. The overwhelming consensus so far is that the refugees should be sent home - due to concerns over the safety of Australians as well as the limited resources of the country.
There are some who disagree, of course. And they made sure their voices were heard, by taking it to the streets - on a Saturday afternoon right in the middle of the city in a dense tourist/shopping area (this is the 'Bukit Bintang' of Perth). No tear gas and water cannons were fired. Business went on as usual for the traders. A few policemen were following them around, to protect passer-bys AND the protestors.
We had a glimpse of what it means to live in a real democratic country...
We had a glimpse of what it means to live in a real democratic country...
...amidst drum beats, we heard chants of 'Say it loud, say it clear, refugees are welcome here!'
No protests in Malaysia? Growing up in a country with as much freedom as Australia I find it hard to imagine life not being like that, and it scares me!
ReplyDeleteActually, I find Perth remarkably repressive on the protesting front... maybe there's just more to do here on the weekend (though obvioulsy not shopping!!), but I feel like people really judge you as a left-wing crazy if you go to protests... in Tassie there are very strong feelings about logging (especially old growth forests), war, asylum seekers, nuclear weapons, you name it they protest it. It's pretty normal to go to a march or drop by the rally later on while you're visiting the markets, and you don't really get judged for it, it's more like "oh, you went hey? any good?" or "oh, you went? I don't really go to those things". Almost 10% the population of Hobart protested war in Iraq. That's MASSIVE! Obviously didn't help much, but it's so good to feel like you can take an active part in your democracy, that you can do more than just vote once every 3 years. I really feel for people in countries where that's not true, even here it's easy to feel impotent! So important to be able to have your voice heard.
I think people forget that not everyone chooses where they live and they don't always have the choice to legally move. It's easy to feel superior, but not necessarily justified.
It is nice to live in a country where people are welcome to turn up en masse and make their point (with police approval, but that's okay, they ARE there to protect EVERYONE).
It all depends on what you're demonstrating about in Malaysia. If you're calling for clean and fair elections, equality for all regardless of race and religion, justice, and an end to corruption, as long as you're protesting against the government - you end up getting water cannons and tear gas fired at you, no matter how peaceful the demonstration may be. The perpetrators of violence usually tend to be the police.
ReplyDeleteHowever, you can demonstrate against the building of temples, chant racist slogans and literally get away with murder, nothing happens to you as long as you're supporters of the ruling party.