Australia copes with yellow peril

By Ganewati Wuryandari and Ikrar Nusa Bhakti

JAKARTA (JP): Over the past year, Australia's public racism debate has not shown any flagging signs. The issue, triggered by the Independent Party representative for Queensland, Pauline Hanson last September, is snowballing into one of considerable dimensions. In a speech before parliament last year, Hanson called for the control of Asian immigration and the abolishment of a multicultural policy.

In her opinion, Australia is flooded with Asians who have brought in criminal elements and fouled the Australian culture. Her prejudice against non-whites appears to be prevalent to this day. It has become apparent with the establishment of a new political party, One Nation, and with the publication of a book, The Truth.

Racism is not new to Australian politics. It grew parallel with the birth of Australian federation, which held onto a White Australia Policy from 1901. Under this policy, the Australian government only accepted immigrants of European lineage.

Even though this policy was abolished by former prime minister Gough Whitlam in 1972, the immigration issue remains controversial. Racial and multicultural matters have always been a national issue. This came to light when Dr. Geoffrey Blainey spoke at the Warranbool Rotary Club in March 1984. He said the immigration policy was of no benefit to the Australian public, a view shared by John Howard when he was a prime ministerial candidate in 1988.

Those who oppose the multicultural policy do so for several reasons. First, they believe Australians have nothing to gain from a multicultural policy. They believe that Asians, steeped in their own culture, are inclined to build Asian ghettos because of their reluctance for integration.

Second, opening the doors to migrants and Asian refugees would only sow the seeds of future shock, especially if the government let in more Asian refugees than was needed.

In recent years, Asian immigrants have taken over the role of traditional immigrants from England, Europe and the Mediterranean and with this, economic, social and cultural problems have begun to emerge.

Third, they fear that Asian immigrants would become a threat to the traditional institution of Australian democracy.

Even if the government and certain members of the public rejected and disapproved of these ideas, the fact is that a considerable number of people sympathize with and support such views.

An opinion poll conducted by The Australian at the start of October 1996 revealed that 70 percent of respondents feel that Australia has been swamped with Asian immigrants. Other polling results disclosed that Hanson is supported by 10 to 25 percent of her admirers.

So why have people been drawn to the subject of racial prejudice?

There are several reasons for this. First, the "anger" Australians are displaying today, is none other but a form of social shock caused by the large number of Asian immigrants who are relatively more established.

An exemplary model is Chatswood located in Sydney's northern suburbs. This used to be an elite neighborhood occupied by professionals of Anglo-Saxon ancestry. But better economic standards among Asian settlers, has transformed this residential area for the better part into a home for immigrants. Recently, thousands of Hong Kong immigrants moved to Chatswood, preferring Australian passports over Chinese documents.

Second, a present restructuring and economic efficiency program under John Howard's administration has given rise to employment related problems. The unemployment figure in Australia currently stands at 8.5 percent. People are feeling the economic pinch and a decline in the quality of life. It is these people who are looking for a scapegoat for their misery.

Third, the prejudice against Asian immigrants could have been provoked by the "Asianization of Australia". This can be observed from the proliferation of Asian eateries, the ever growing number of Asian students in Australian tertiary institutions and Asian businesspeople who have started taking over the economic sources of this continent with their growing investment activities.

One example is the Samsung business group who bought up an agricultural area at Warrah Station, New South Wales, at the price of A$9.5 million (US$7.3). Citic, an arm of the Chinese government in the field of foreign investments, paid up more than A$100 million for Metro Meat, the second biggest meat processing plant in Australia. Malaysian conglomerate, Robert Kwok, bought up Coca-Cola Amatil for A$667 million, a Hong Kong and Malaysian venture bought up the best dairy producing company in Australia, National Foods, at A$425 million.

Taking these factors into consideration, it would appear that the racial debate has arisen because of economic interests. Even so, the ongoing issue is placing Australia in a difficult position. On the home front, it would divide Australians over the supremacy of the White Australia policy.

On the international front, it would degenerate the image of the Australian government. At a time when nations are joining in the universal race of globalization, Australia would appear to be choosing isolation at the south pole. This would reflect on its economic, political and social cultural relations with other countries.

In education, for instance, the white Australia issue might hurt the country economically which has, so far, been forking in foreign incomes of A$2 billion from overseas students.

Statistics suggest that this trend has already been set in motion. The number of Japanese students studying in Australia decreased 7.5 percent, from 2,665 to 2,465, while Filipino students decreased 39 percent from 257 to 156.

On the political front, this decrease in the number of overseas students would hamper Australia's position in its efforts to join the forum of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM).

It would be impossible for Australia to revive its isolation, culture and economy. A negative toward Asia would harm economic relations in the region. Although Australia is culturally connected to Europe, its political, economic and security future is centered in the Asia Pacific, even more so in the East Asian Ocean and South East Asia.