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February 9, 2008
Marcia Langton has a good op-ed in the Sydney Morning Herald on the significance of white Australia saying sorry to indigenous Australians for the suffering of Aboriginal people from the Australian government's policies of child removal.
Then, I realised: there will be people around Australia gathering to listen to the apology; it will be very hard to listen without crying, without thinking about our friends and all of those souls who have left the world without an apology. To do justice to the historical facts and speak above the din of the spiteful people who want to cause more suffering to Aboriginal people, this is what I expect from the Prime Minister and the Parliament next Wednesday. Is it so hard to understand how much an apology means to the thousands of Aboriginal people who were removed from their families? What it would mean for me as an Aboriginal person who has consoled and encouraged friends is simply this: I want to be in a relationship with them without the heartbreaking pain of the past 10 years, knowing that there has been a just acknowledgement of the crimes against them.
Therein lies the significance for indigenous people. It's facing the truth about Australian history instead of denying it, as has been the case for the past ten years of the conservative ascendancy.
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I think that she is right in many ways, The indigenous people of Australia deserve as much respect as anyone AND I just wish they had made the apology earlier.