Posted to Letters to the the Editor, Monash Weekly 15/2/2011
I have written in various papers including this about my views on segregation, whether it is on businesses in Kingsway or the use of swimming pool.
Multiculturalism is not a one-way traffic. Australians are asked to be patient, tolerant, and acceptant with other’s cultures, and expected to learn about them, and yet many immigrants do not reciprocate. Unless there is a common unifying force to bind them together, the Australian social fabric will be torn.
Just on language alone - as myriads of immigrants from different races and ethnic backgrounds reach our shore grow by the day, and more and more indigenous Australians joining the mainstream society at large, Australia will soon become a Tower of Babel. Not only does this create misunderstanding and suspicion among people, but also bring forth many workplace and road safety problems.
There are cases whereby expensive construction projects are delayed because initial design plans did not include facilities for certain religious groups and needed to be rectified. Many public hospitals have to provide special meals, not because of health reason, but of religious origin. Cultural and religious diversity will only increase, and segregation, special treatment and privileges have to stop now before they multiply like cancer cells.
Should Australia give special privileges to the indigenous Australians since their fore-parents were here before Captain Cook founded Australia? Neither an indigenous Australian nor an immigrant should be given special privileges. However, Australia has an obligation and responsibility to provide the opportunity to lift the standard of living of all Australians including indigenous Australians and immigrants.
Former Singapore Prime Minister, Lee Kwan Yew once said, “give a beggar a gold coin, he will ask for a second one”. In some countries where special privileges were given to a specific group, they soon rise to become a force that can exert strong political influence to topple any government attempting to remove the privileges. Do we want this to happen in Australia or in your City like Monash?
I firmly believe that multiculturalism should make way for uniform practice in many publicly funded organisations.
To find out more about my other comments, follow the links:
http://www2b.abc.net.au/tmb/Client/Message.aspx?b=114&m=49118&ps=50&dm=2, published 27/8/2009
http://www2b.abc.net.au/guestbookcentral/list.asp?numtoview=&GuestbookID=156&start=&sort=&filter1=Name&filter1val=CHAN, Sin Fong&filter2=Subject&filter2val=Speak English and Respect the Laws&filter3Remark=&filter3val=Tower of Babel&view=&advanced=&Action=&pagestart=, published 19/9/2006
http://www2b.abc.net.au/guestbookcentral/list.asp?numtoview=&GuestbookID=156&start=&sort=&filter1=Name&filter1val=CHAN, Sin Fong&filter2=Subject&filter2val=Speak English and Respect the Laws&filter3Remark=&filter3val=Tower of Babel&view=&advanced=&Action=&pagestart=, published 19/9/2006
http://waverley-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/comments/women-only-pool-float-for-monash/, published 19/10/2010
http://waverley-leader.whereilive.com.au/your-news/story/better-business-mix-in-kingsway/, published 7/1/2011
http://www.monashweekly.com.au/content/letterstotheeditor/, published 7/1/2011, 3/12/2010, 20/10/2010