Cross Cultures in Australia

I want to talk politics today. Mainly Aussie politics.

See these days there is a debate brewing that immigrants should adopt Australian values and be able to speaka da English! I am in two minds about this, – for and against this notion basically.

On the FOR hand, what John Howard the Australian PM (let'’s just call him the Lil Toad or LT) is saying is that immigrants should wait 4 years before they can gain citizenship (right now it is 2 years), take a English speaking test and an Australian values test.

Looking at this, I tend to agree because I came here as an immigrants and as most people who have spoken to me could attest, – I can speak the English, I can also write, (although my typo'’s and grammar on this blog present another case) and I also have a sense of Aussie values after living for 25 years here.

Further to this, my parents and family all speak good English and understand other Aussies and what is all about. My brother "“Jeet-man"” is probably more Aussie than Punjabi/Malaysian and that is due to him being here for all is life apart from the first 2 years. But he has not forgotten his heritage, while his bhangra dancing is funny to watch and he can not speak Punjabi, he still retains core values that were taught to him by family and after my beatings!!

So in a way what is being said is generally fair. I believe that if you live in a country you should learn to adopt the language of the majority and accept the customs of that country. if I ever decided to live in Malaysia I would try to Malay malay so I could communicate with people and learn the customs, such as how to merge when driving.

Further, the 4 year waiting period for Australian citizenship is a good thing. For me it ensures that people appreciate citizenship a whole lot more. I get a notion that a lot of recent young citizens do not seem to value it a whole lot, or not as much I do. These are the ones who are willing to enjoy the lifestyle here yet denigrate Australia when things do not seem to go their way.

This happens everywhere, and people should count their blessing that they can walk down their street without worrying about being mugged, raped or having their purses snatched and dragged away.

On the other hand......

I consider the Lil Toad as a racist bigot and this line of thinking is a way of appeasing the majority rather than trying to enhance relations with minorities. In a way it is a return to days of the White Australia Policy (this was a policy that only allow migrations from a "“white country"” -mainly the UK).

I generally think that if someone wants to come here, they do so to live a better live and it is only fair that they learn what Australia is about. They should not seclude themselves and only integrate themselves with people from their homeland but get out there and learn about the people in this country.

Yes, this includes learning how to communicate in the main language. If I went back to live in Australia endeavorndeavour to learn how to speak Malay so I could intergrate myself into a country. I hate seeing people bow down to a person just because they are a foreigner and just because they are white.

Similarly, white Australian should also not be myopic and believe that because they comprise the majority here, that they have a god-given right to think they are superior. They should also make the effort to learn about other cultures. After all, every person living here, apart from the Aborigines, emigrated here be in last week, 30 years ago or due to their forefathers 200 years ago.

Australia has an opportunity to show the world how a secular society can form and function by being able to integrate all different types of cultures. This place could show the world how differences between cultures and religion could assimilate to form some harmonyharmoney. A place where each person can be respected for who they are and not what colour their skin who they pray to.

Everyone should be able to enjoy a Sunday afternoon BBQ or a beer (whether it be a Crown Lager or a Root Beer) with others. Sit back and relax while watching a game of AFL, Cricket or Football.

So while there are merits on some of the policies, the reasons for such changes are wrong. They are being touted to appease a Xenaphobic majority (who happen to be white). This is not the 1950's or the days where Pauline Hanson's comments was running riot through Asia where her policies were spoken as being the point of view of the average Aussie. She was ridiculed by people here as being an uneducated loser who did not speak for all Australians. Yet here we are, in the 21st century, and we are heading back to the white only days.

With that I think the policy is wrong as it is ethically incorrect. Do away with it and encourage recent immigrants to learn English and what it means to be an Australian. Both sides, the new and the old, reaching out to one another to help each other.

After all, that is what being a mate is about, and being a mate is what Australia is all about.