Mr Sam Lim MP spoke in parliament on 29 March 2023 to advocate multiculturalism, peace and harmony.
Mr LIM (Tangney) (19:35): Australia is a multicultural society. The contributions made by our multicultural communities shape our country for the better. It is the addition of colour, flavour, depth and dimension, in the form of culturally and linguistically diverse experiences, that enriches our way of life. But often—too often—the perception of our multicultural community is skewed by subliminal messaging or full-blown agitational remarks by our media. We must call this out.
I refer to an article from ABC news earlier this month, with the headline: ‘India: Narendra Modi calls on Albanese to combat Sikh attacks on Hindu temples in Australia’. This article was not only misleading but also so harmful to both the Sikh and Hindu communities in Australia.
I have large communities of Sikhs and Hindus in my electorate of Tangney. Canning Vale is the home of the first Sikh gurdwara in Western Australia. Canning Vale is also the home of the Perth Hindu Temple. Whilst there are differences, both communities work tirelessly to advocate for their people, and both communities are benefiting from the election commitment made by our government to their place of worship.
The recent incidents of violence highlighted in the article do not represent the Australian Sikh community. We must condemn any form of violence, but we must also ensure that we do not target an entire community. It is important to understand that the Sikhs follow the teachings of their gurus, which emphasise love, compassion and service to humanity. The recent incidents of violence do not reflect the values and the teachings encompassed by the Sikh faith.
Around the same time as this article from the ABC, the Daily Mail published a story online implying that three Chinese men taking photographs at the Avalon air show in Melbourne were spies! This was absolutely outrageous! I’m sure many of you have heard of my own personal experience, when I was doing campaigning and doorknocking in the Tangney electorate, where I, too, was being told, ‘Go back to China’—even though I was, in fact, born in Malaysia. We have all heard: ‘Do not judge a book by its cover.’ So why should the colour of my skin, the way I talk and the way I express myself be used against me as a weapon? The racial profiling in this article not only affected the victims but also caused profound discomfort and anxiety to many in the Chinese community and those of Asian heritage. It is unfair, unreasonable and unacceptable to suspect anyone with a camera at a public event—let alone anyone who looks Asian or to be of Chinese descent—of being a spy. The article has since been swiftly removed, after the Daily Mail received complaints and an open letter calling them out for their baseless accusations.
As leaders, it is our responsibility to ensure that we do not propagate false narratives that can harm our communities and divide us. I say this because more than 160 nationalities live in my electorate of Tangney. It reflects modern Australia, where we represent a unique and diverse set of cultures. We must work towards building bridges between our multicultural communities to promote peace and harmony. Hindsight is a great thing. I say this to all media watching or listening: let us acknowledge and appreciate the significant contribution of our multicultural communities in Australia. Let us all work together to promote peace and harmony between all communities, because our words are powerful. They should be used for unity, not division.
林文清联邦议员：“保护多元文化：呼吁媒体制止对澳大利亚少数族裔的误导和歧视”
Source: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/b2sFTG87_V_8pY1IQmqkBg
澳大利亚是一个充满多元文化的社会。我们的多元文化社区为我们的国家作出了巨大的贡献，为我们的生活增添了色彩、味道、深度和维度。然而，我们时常发现本地媒体的潜在信息或极端言辞歪曲了我们多元文化社区的形象。我们必须指出这一这种现象。
ABC News本月早些时候发布的一篇文章，标题为：India: Narendra Modi calls on Albanese to combat Sikh attacks on Hindu temples in Australia’这篇文章不仅误导了读者，而且对澳大利亚的锡克教徒和印度教徒社区造成了极大的伤害。
在我代表的西澳 Tangney 选区，有着众多的锡克教徒和印度教徒社区。Canning Vale 是西澳大利亚第一个锡克教祈福堂的所在地，同时也是珀斯印度教寺庙的所在地。虽然两个社区存在差异，但他们都在为保护自己的群体不断努力，目前两个社区都受益于我们政府为他们的祈福场所做出的竞选承诺。
ABC News文章提到的暴力事件并不代表澳大利亚锡克教社区的立场。我们必须谴责任何形式的暴力，但同时也必须确保不将整个社区与这些事件联系起来。对于理解锡克教的教义来说，是非常重要的。锡克教的教义强调爱、同情和服务人类。最近的暴力事件并不反映锡克教信仰所包容的价值观和教义。
就在 ABC News 发布这篇文章的同时，Daily Mail 在网上发表了一篇报道，暗示在墨尔本Avalon航展上拍照的三名中国人是间谍。这种指控完全荒谬！
相信许多人都知道我的亲身经历，在 Tangney 选区的竞选和拜访期间，我也遭遇到“回到中国去”的指责，尽管实际上我是在马来西亚出生的。我们都听说过：“不要以貌取人”，那么为什么肤色、说话方式和表达方式会被用作攻击我的武器呢？这篇文章中的种族歧视不仅影响了受害者，还给许多华人社区和亚裔后代带来了深深的不适和焦虑。怀疑任何在公共场合拍照的人是间谍，更何况是任何看起来像亚洲人或华裔的人，这是不公平、不合理和不能接受的。该文章已经在 Daily Mail 收到投诉和公开信后被迅速删除。
作为领导者，我们有责任确保不宣传可能伤害我们社区和分裂我们的虚假叙述。我这么说是因为我所代表的西澳Tangney 选区有160多个国籍的人居住，它反映了现代澳大利亚的多元文化。我们必须努力构建我们多元文化社区之间的桥梁，以促进和平与和谐。事后回顾，这是一件好事。我对所有关注此事的媒体说：让我们承认和赞赏我们澳大利亚多元文化社区的重要贡献。让我们共同努力，促进所有社区之间的和平与和谐，因为我们的言论是有力量的。它们应该用于团结，而不是分裂。
