Leaders from Indigenous communities in Australia on Sunday called for a week of silence and reflection after the decisive rejection of a referendum to recognize First Peoples in the country’s constitution.
The referendum asked Australians whether the constitution should be altered in order to recognize Aboriginal and Torres Strait people with an advisory body “Voice to Parliament”, that would have advised parliament on matters concerning the community.
More than 60 per cent of Australians voted “No” in the landmark referendum on Saturday.
In order for the referendum to pass, it needed a national majority and majorities in at least four states. All six states in Australia rejected the proposal.
“This is a bitter irony,” the Indigenous leaders said in a statement. “That people who have only been on this continent for 235 years would refuse to recognize those whose home this land has been for 60,000 and more years is beyond reason.”
They said that they would lower the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island flag to half-mast.
The outcome of the referendum is seen as a major setback for reconciliation efforts with the Indigenous people. Unlike other nations with similar histories, such as Canada and New Zealand, Australia has not formally recognized or reached a treaty with its First Peoples.
Reconciliation Australia, the lead body for reconciliation in Australia said in a statement, “While the results are devastating, they are not the first setback to the aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.” It added, “This is a familiar story and one that has never deterred Indigenous Elders and leaders to be a voice for change. We pay homage to their courage and example. The fight for justice and the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will continue.”
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people constitute 3.8 percent of the 26 million population in Australia. The Indigenous communities have inhabited the country for about 60,000 years. But they don’t find mention in the constitution. And by several socio-economic measures, there are the country’s most disadvantaged people.
“It’s very clear that reconciliation is dead,” Marcia Langton, an architect of the Voice, said on NITV. “I think it will be at least two generations before Australians are capable of putting their colonial hatreds behind them and acknowledging that we exist.”
(Disclaimer: This news article was written by Mokokchung Times with inputs from agencies.)
