Biting back

Recently I have read a news article in an Australian newspaper about some aboriginal people from Fitzroy Crossing moving to Broome for the convenience of buying full strength beer.

To begin with, let me give some background info about these two places. Both towns are in Western Australia. Fitzroy Crossing is a rather remote place and are home to many aboriginal communities. In economic terms, it's neither a rich or prosperous town. In fact, too too too far from it. On the other hand, Broome is famous for its Southeast Asian, beach and tropical weather type of ambience. It's a booming tourist town for mostly Australians. Basically, the booming Broome is all about high-end tourism, luxurious gifts shopping (Pearls and jewllery) and expensive beach resorts.

So, what's in the news article? Well, it's about 5-star beach resorts, shops on 'tourist' streets being tainted by those 'alcoholic, filthy, and homeless' aboriginals and that has severely affected 'the tourist industry' and of course, put off those well-heeled Australian tourists. They don't like that at all.

They complained about their smell, unhygenic practices (urinating and even defecating in public places and even in the full view of restaurant patrons). They protested against them setting up tents and the women having a child in one arm and a beer in the other hand wandering around the town selling crafted boab nuts and probably some other little native craftwork.

The whole news article focuses on the unsightly and uncivilised way that these aboriginal people are carrying themselves. Not one word is about 'help', 'aid', 'sympathy', 'the root of the cause', and anything relating to humanitarian concerns. It's all about the economic losses that businesses may suffer because these aboriginal people 'scare off' tourists.

The Aboriginals issue in Australia began from about 200 hundred years ago when white Europeans claimed the land and denounced the existence of the natives, trying to exterminate them (both intentionally and unintentionally), but not quite successful. Over the years, the whole issue has turned into a very complicated problem whereby, I believe, has absolutely no solution to it.

I would say - that's the consequences of the white Australian government's (Oops, the Australian government has never been in any other colours) decades and series of pathetic and wrong military, political and social policies on native Australians. No white Australians should complain. Today's problems regarding the natives are the consequences of what have been done to them.

I have no solution and no suggestions to the problems. I have talked to sincere and kind-hearted Australian people who work and live in the native communities for a long time. I have read many many articles, reports and stories about them and their issues.

I tried to throw in my two cents worth saying something like... 'Now the natives have to stand up to face the reality. They are the only ones who could help themselves. If they think that the white Australians have put them in the game, then learn the rules and outplay them to gain some control of the game. That's the only way to go forward. If you want to be strong, you have to be economically independent, academically strong, socially competitive, and professionally proliferating in different fields. They should aim at moving forward (yet not to forget the tragic past). They must not indulge in endless grieving about those tragic events and waste time. They need to take action for the benefit of their whole race and country. They should turn grief into strength and determination. They should break away from those alcohol, drugs and lax habits that will certainly put them in a position of destruction and exterminate them eventually... blab blab blab'

That's what I used to say. But now, after hearing and reading so much about the underlining issues... it just seems to me that I was too naive. I was too much 'pro-action' (in the sense of the modern world). I have not taken into account the innate personality and the evolution characteristics of the aboriginal people. I have ignored that fact that the metaphysical aspects of the aboriginal culture could be far too different from the Chinese culture and all western cultures. It is beyond our comprehension. And assimilation is not really a suitable approach.

I can offer no solution. But I know well that relying on outside people's help, sympathy and hand-me-outs (mainly the white Australians) is no solution and actually a very wrong path to take. I believe there is still time and there are still ways to put the aboriginals right on the centre of the stage or the game. Just don't wait till it's too late.