The Spectator Australia · Why I am voting ‘No’: an Asian perspective
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One thing is clear: there is a universal consensus among Australians, irrespective of race, that more needs to be done to uplift the Indigenous community, especially in regional and remote areas. It is a terrible stain on the soul of the nation to see our fellow Australians of Indigenous descent living in the horrible conditions that they are currently experiencing.
A country’s Constitution is a set of principles which the country is founded upon. The issue here isn’t about recognising Indigenous people in our Constitution, which many people would not have a problem with, instead it is the request to enshrine the body known as ‘The Voice’ in our Constitution, which is essentially enshrining special rights to people based on their ethnicity in perpetuity.
Once enshrined, there is no point of return.
In the 4,000 years or so of recorded history of humanity, countries that have implemented special rights based on race and or religion have a poor track record of success and most inevitably fail.
This is the reason why I am voting ‘No’ to The Voice and I am guided by the fact that Mr Lee Kuan Yew, the First Prime Minister of Singapore and one of the greatest nation builders in history, would have done the same.