FÊTE NATIONALE AUSTRALIENNE: SAJ porte un toast à la reine Elizabeth II
Le président de la République Sir Anerood Jugnauth a porté un toast à la reine Elizabeth II hier, à Eureka, à l’occasion de la célébration de la fête nationale de l’Australie.
Le couple présidentiel, arrivé à Eureka à 18 h 45, a été accueilli par la Haute commissaire australienne à Maurice, Sandra Vegting. L’orchestre de la police a joué l’hymne national australien. À l’heure du toast, les hymnes nationaux des deux pays ont été joués. Sandra Vegting a porté un toast à la République de Maurice.
Le 26 janvier marque l’arrivée des premières flottes britanniques en Australie. Ce jour-là, en 1788, pour la première fois, l’Union Jack flottait dans le ciel de Sydney. C’est le capitaine Arthur Phillip qui procéda au lever du drapeau.
La haute commission australienne (HCA) à Maurice indique dans un communiqué que bien que cette date marque ce jour de manière spécifique, aujourd’hui, la fête nationale reflète l’Australie contemporaine, soit « the country’s diverse society and landscape, remarkable achievements and bright future ». Selon la HCA, c’est aussi l’occasion de réfléchir sur l’histoire du pays et de voir comment poursuivre la construction du pays dans le but de faire de lui un meilleur endroit où vivre.
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Aborigines Condemn Clashes After Riot Police Rescue Gillard
Michael Heath, ©2012 Bloomberg News
Friday, January 27, 2012
(Updates with Gillard, Abbott, federal police comments from ninth to 11th paragraphs; protest outside parliament in 12th.)
Jan. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Australian indigenous leaders condemned clashes between aboriginal protesters and riot police that forced officers to rescue Prime Minister Julia Gillard and opposition leader Tony Abbott in the nation's capital.
Dozens of indigenous protesters banged on the windows of a Canberra restaurant where Gillard and Abbott attended a function yesterday for Australia Day, a holiday marking the arrival of white settlers in the country. The prime minister and opposition leader were rushed out of the building by security officers and spirited away in government cars to cries of "racist" and "shame" from the protesters.
The demonstrators were responding to comments by Abbott earlier in the day when he was questioned whether it was time to move an aboriginal protest camp, known as the Tent Embassy, that has been running for 40 years in front of the nation's former parliament. Aborigines remain the poorest and most disadvantaged group in Australian society more than 200 years after Europeans settled in 1788.
"It was a disgraceful situation -- I was shocked when I saw the scenes," Warren Mundine, an Aboriginal leader and former president of the governing Labor Party, said today in an interview broadcast on Sky News. "They blew up a statement that Tony Abbott made that was very harmless."
Abbott told reporters yesterday that the nation's indigenous population could be "very proud of the respect in which they are held by every Australian."
"I think it probably is time to move on," Abbott added.
Riot Officers
Mundine said the opposition leader's comments didn't justify what happened later at the Canberra restaurant, where riot officers were forced to form a cordon to stop protesters from banging on the windows.
Television footage inside the venue showed Gillard's security detail warning that the glass could break at any time and recommending the prime minister leave the scene. Gillard then asked that Abbott also be escorted out.
Abbott told reporters today he was grateful to the prime minister and her protection detail for looking after them both in what was "a potentially ugly situation." He defended his comments, saying he is "proud" of the steps toward reconciliation that have been achieved and that "any suggestion that Australia is fixated in the same place that we were in 40 years ago on this issue is just dead wrong."
'On a Journey'
Gillard told reporters today that Australia is "on a journey to genuine reconciliation" and said she had no concerns about her security yesterday. "I was always incredibly confident the police would do everything they needed to do," she said.
The Australian Federal Police said it is investigating whether any offences were committed.
A group of aborigines from the Tent Embassy today marched to the front of parliament house, which was barred by police. They chanted slogans including "who owns this land? We do" and "always was, always will be aboriginal land."
Aboriginal people populated Australia at least 50,000 years before Europeans settled. There are about 400,000 indigenous Australians, who make up 2 percent of the population. Australia Day marks the date in 1788 when Captain Arthur Phillip, commander of the first fleet of convict ships from Britain, landed in Sydney Cove, the site of the modern-day city. Many Aborigines and their supporters refer to the date as Invasion Day.
First Apology
Gillard's predecessor, Kevin Rudd offered the nation's first apology to Aborigines taken from their families for assimilation with the white community, saying the policy was a "blemished chapter" in the nation's history.
From 1910 to 1970, up to one-third of indigenous children were removed from their families and communities and placed in institutions, church missions or the homes of white Australians, according to a government-commissioned report published in 1997. The inquiry found many children lost their cultures, languages, heritage and lands, and recommended reparation be made.
Indigenous leader Mick Gooda also condemned the behavior yesterday, saying the reaction to Abbott's remarks was "over the top and I don't think it paints us in a very good light across Australia."
"What we saw yesterday was images of violent confrontation that we don't need," Gooda, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social justice commissioner, told Sky News.
Je l'ai deja ecrit ..le Cher President est Mr Foo.Autrefois il trouvait tout mal contre la Reine de L'ANGLETERRE ET DU COMMONWEALTH. AERONOOD JUGNAUGHT denie au mauriciens de caste hindu en detention a Londres acces a La Reine pour leur peine d'immigrant clandestin ..ces Jeunes dont le Grand pere votait pour L'Indepndence et dont le pere salua Aeronood JUGNAUGHT pour faire de L'ILE MAURICE UNE REPUBLIQUE OU LA REINE D'Angleterre n'est plus Sovereigne Monarchique comme au CANADA COMME EN AUSTRALIE ET DES PAYS CIVILISE'.
LE PRESIDENT EST devenu Mr Foo.
The Republic debate
By GDL
The referendum over Australia becoming a republic was overwhelmingly voted down in 1999 and since then the Republican movement has gone in hiding.
The recent visit of the Queen of England reignited the debate in the press but none of the republican dared to come forward. This was probably because they saw how popular the Queen still is and also out of respect for her.
The Labour Party is an outright Republican Party but in the Liberal Party there is split. Malcolm Turnbull, Christopher Payne and some others are Republicans. John Howard and his follower, Tony Abbott, are the biggest supporters of the Status Quo.
There are also having people like Barnaby Joyce as a die-hard monarchist. No surprise for the National Party as they now represent the new far right party since the death of One Nation, well-known for its racist policies.
It is good that the Labor Party Government is not pushing for or talking about Australia becoming a republic now as it is surely not the appropriate time for them to antagonise or divide, an already too divided Australia community.
They should leave this to Paul Keating, Bob Hawke, Malcolm Turnbull and Christopher Payne who are more popular at the moment.
The 1999 referendum saw a majority of Australians voted against the idea of Australia becoming a republic. The reasons are multiple and diverse. But it was mainly because the Republicans were divided on the powers and role of the President. Some wanted him to be nominated by Parliament with a ceremonial role while others wanted him to be voted by the people and so have some or full powers.
The idea of Australia becoming a republic is legitimate and would show that Australia is a proud, mature and independent country like America and France, Germany and other western democracies.
There is also that perception that Australia is still a colony of United Kingdom with the Queen of England as our head and monarch. By the same token the flag still have the Union Jack, another symbol of the past and colonisation.
The Republicans advocate that if an Australian can be the Prime Minister or the Governor General there is no reason why an Australia could not and should not be the Head of the State. This argument is the heart of the supporter of their movement.
For their part, the monarchists like the way it is. They like the Queen of England to be the Head of the State and like to see her coming here from time to time, if not her, her representatives. This is a twenty-hour trip meaning that she is geographically very far from us. But geographical distance does not matter as the emotional and historical ties are very strong.
The Monarchists see the Queen of England is the gerent of our democratic system and why change a system which is working. The system is surely working as it is in other countries, because of our particular and unique voting system, our Parliamentary democratic system, our bicameral system, our effective political institutions, and our electoral system. It is also because of the way people are engaged and their contribution to make it work. It is the people who are keeping Australia a democratic and safe country to advance Australia fare. All Australians believe in democracy and freedom and will continue to uphold our system where it is a Monarchy or a Republic.
We believe in a system that will t improve our social and economic well being. It is not limited to a symbol or particular system.
The Australian monarchists are mostly Anglo-Saxons or Anglo-Celtics who are still very emotionally attached to their “motherland”. The Queen or Prince William, and the Union Jack represent this continuous tie. They will be very anxious, sad and worried to see this symbolism disappear.
Among some of them there is still that fear that Australia might become part of Asia. The fear that migrants, particularly Asians will take over the country; this is also exemplified in their opposition to multiculturalism.
The reality is that today Australia is a multiracial, multicultural and multi-religious country. The cultural landscape of Australia is fast changing. There is a new generation of Australian in the schools today whose parents were born outside Australia. These kids have no ties with their parents’ mother land. Their country is Australia and once they are engaged in the political system they will want Australia to be Australian, the new Australia. The strong and lucky Australia.
GDL