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Word Count: 400 |
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"The Greatest Olympic Games Ever" have finished, after a Closing
Ceremony which centered around what has been referred to this week as
"one of Australia's most controversial words": sorry. Although
they are in the minority, some commentators and politicians have recently
claimed that the Olympics are an inappropriate stage on which to introduce
domestic politics. While any pseudo-academic knows that arguing for or
against this topic requires a frequency of references and footnotes
inappropriate for this column, Sundries feels compelled to explain why
Australia's usage of the Games as a step towards reconciliation was not
only reasonable, but necessary.
The year 2000 is one of the few foreseeable periods during which the world's attention will be focused Down Under. Indeed, many stories about the Stolen Generation and the Prime Minister's refusal to apologise for past misdeeds have been heard by millions overseas during the past few months. The Olympics was Australia's best opportunity to show its unity on the subject to the rest of the world. To show that the nation is ready and willing to progress towards reconciliation In the Opening Ceremony, a young Anglo-Saxon Australian girl dreamt of understanding and being at ease with multicultural Australia, especially the Aboriginal people. In the Closing Ceremony, multicultural Australia, including the Aboriginal people, showed that it wants to move towards reconciliation with or without a public apology from John Howard. Amazingly, the Prime Minister was not humiliated after his "fellow Australians" taunted him in view of the world during the Closing Ceremony. Instead, the following day he simply stated that "we need to focus on ways of diminishing disadvantage, not perpetually debate the why of the past." His refusal to acknowledge the desires and feelings of his "fellow Australians" is a horrible example to set for the nation's children, an indescribable disrespect to the Aboriginal people, and an extraordinary way for him to be remembered. If it was not for the Olympics, most of the world would still be ignorant of Australia's past and present situations. And if it was not for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, the world may not have realised that my fellow Australians do not agree with Mr Howard's. As it stands, nothing has ever made me feel more proud to be an Australian. |
