A Voice to Parliament – The Third Choice of Vote

     I am voting "Abstain" in the upcoming Voice to Parliament referendum.

     “Wait, what?”

     Well, first allow me to comment on the “abstain” position in general, and forgive me as I instantly stray away from the main subject of this article into the weeds. I promise, I will get back to main course in time.

     The beauty of the “abstain” position is that it almost forces the genuine question of “why” to rise up, to push through the cracks in the dry earth of political discourse, forcing all to acknowledge – but for a brief moment – that nuanced flowers can indeed grow in the garden of discourse…

     …before being inevitably torn out of the ground by idealogues on both sides who would rather keep things binary.

     And that is the problem with a purely “yes” and “no” approach to voting in a democracy. If the ability to vote in a democracy is the prime mechanism for a citizen to express their position on an issue, then the abstain option is a critical piece to that end.

     Many would claim that abstaining is a cop out, or even worse, an offence to the privilege of voting. "You're lucky you live in country where you can vote, and you're spitting in that country's face!"

     But a vote to abstain is a neutral position, and neutrality is in truth the most expressive of the choices we have.

     Allow me to elaborate.

     No matter your reasons for getting there, if you vote "No", the ends of your decision are the same. Likewise for a "Yes" vote. It is a binary choice, with a binary conclusion. Worse still, in the highly politicized world we live in today, your vote will be interpreted through a political lens whether you like it or not. You will be grouped with people you may find distasteful, if not outright disgusting. You will be judged in ways that do not at all address the actual reason you voted the way you did.

     This is the rot of a binary system in a supposed democracy. We become the playthings of the two sides in power as they jockey for position and attempt to win the next round of their exclusive game – as long as the game continues for them alone, they both win.

     But a neutral vote can mean so many things. It is an open-ended position by definition. It is a wild card in the deck that demands follow up questions from the people upstairs, if they want to win your vote in the future.

     In other words, for us regular citizens, it is democratic leverage.

     "Why did you abstain?"

     "Because I think this vote is a farce."

     "Because they are treating us like children by not being transparent."

     "Because there are points on both sides that are not being addressed and this vote is thus premature."

     "Because I cannot honestly say yes or no to this thing without committing to something I don't fully agree with."

     "Because I don't have enough time to fully think this thing out, and I will not subject the fate of an entire group of people to my carelessly considered whim."

     "Because fuck you."

     Now, keep in mind, for the moment this is simply an argument for why an "abstain" option is so important to a healthy democracy. And I don't just mean checking you're name off and then drawing a dick on the ballet paper. I mean that the option should be included on the ballet paper itself, clear as day, with no stigma attached to the notion of selecting it. I mean it should be represented in mainstream media alongside the “yes” or “no” positions on any matter. It should be given some TCL to have it feel welcome, to lend spectrum to an otherwise binary way of thinking about issues.

     Entrée over. On to the main course.

     Let me first be transparent about my position on the broad subject of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representation in this country in the here and now.

     I am for reconciliation and unity, whatever that means in its purest form. I am for the idea that a society should never stop trying to improve, no should it leave the mistakes of the past unaddressed. This is not a “who is to blame” thing, but rather a “let’s fix this shit together in harmony” thing.

     I think Australia Day should be changed to a new, unifying day, and I think the Australian flag should be changed, if not simply changed to the Indigenous flag, should all parties agree.

     I do not see a cost in enacting the above suggestions, and thus only see resistance to them as a matter of stubbornness or pride. Yet, as a gesture of goodwill and sibling-hood, they are free, and so I say “let’s just become our own country and fucking do it already!”

     So that’s that. Feel free to share your well thought out arguments of why I am wrong. I’m sure there are many things I have not yet considered.

     I have also spent a considerable amount of time studying history. I understand that we have a biased, warped notion of time, unable to see the forest for the trees. A century is nothing in the context of history. And the wounds of the past, if unchecked, can linger for entire ages – anyone who studies history can point to this truth with the utmost confidence.

     In other words, things take an incomprehensible amount of time to resolve, beyond the capacity of our short-lived minds to grasp.

     Greece endured 500 years of Ottoman rule before managing to fight off their oppressors and regain their freedom. South Africa suffered under a multitude of euro-centric conquests and oppressors before regaining their sovereignty 500 years later. And the examples go on and on.

     The only difference in the case of Australian history is that the Indigenous population only numbers around 3.2%, meaning any chance of their regaining full sovereignty of their land is pragmatically impossible. We are in fact dealing with the plight of a people whose culture is under threat of being lost entirely.

     Thus the onus is on all of us – descendants of colonialist, descendants of immigrants, new immigrants, and Indigenous alike – to take seriously the messy, complex situation we find ourselves in, to be mature, and try to fix it together.

     Which brings me, finally, to my decision to “abstain” in the upcoming referendum.

     This vote, at its core, is about listening to the voices of the people who were so callously displaced by the arrival of the British on this continent. It is about giving power, agency and respect to those voices, when it comes to the direction this country takes moving forward.

     At least, it should be.

     The irony, however, is that – being such an overwhelmed minority in their own land – Indigenous Australians will not actually have the power to choose if this is the way they wish their voice to be represented. It is literally the vast majority of everyone else – non-Indigenous Australians – who will decide the fate of the very people who they claim to be listening to.

     Add to the issue the poison of politicalisation into the mix, in a world where politics is at dangerous levels of polarisation, and you have a whole lotta’ people and parties involved who quite frankly have no business making this decision for the Indigenous community.

     Thus, the issue itself becomes shrouded in outside interest and obfuscated agendas.

     Fucken politics, man.

     Speaking for myself, the solidifying of my position came when I heard incredibly compelling arguments to vote “no” from members of the Indigenous community. Yet, I have not seen these arguments at all represented in the media, nor have I heard them come up in general discourse – in fact, such arguments from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices have literally been silenced by non-Indigenous perspectives on both sides of the fence.

     I would not do justice to such arguments by parroting them here. In fact, I will not make any actual arguments for or against when it comes to this issue.

     Because it is not my issue to argue for, one way or the other.

     This is the crux of my decision to abstain. There are many compelling arguments put forth from Indigenous Australians, on the side of both “yes” and “no”. I have heard many of them, and I have not heard nearly enough. I think about all of them, and I try simply to understand each perspective.

     I would like to hear what each and every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice has to say about this issue, and I want us to acknowledge them all, both as individual, sovereign human beings and as a nuanced, diverse community of people with a shared experience that I simply do not have.

     In regard to the other voices in this country, however – the non-indigenous vast majority who ultimately have all the power in deciding this matter (that’s majority privilege for you right there) – allow me to further zoom in on my position and share with you what does not convince me.

     I am unconvinced by right wing politicians – so often of British colonial descent – who spout nonsense about how a vote for “yes” will divide us – it’s not that there is no legitimacy to this perspective, just that I do not trust it when it comes from a cookie cutter white dude in power.

     I am especially unconvinced by the same kinds of people claiming that a vote for “yes” will mean “they can take your property and wealth,” and “they will have too much power over you!”.

     Please. You mean to tell me you are worried that a demographic that makes up a mere 3.2% of the population will have too much power over you? Are you fucking seriously trying to tell me you believe that such a power shift will lead to the catastrophic end to your fragile world? Even if A Voice to Parliament gave a substantial increase in power and influence to Indigenous Australians (and you deemed this a bad thing), the sheer weight of majority held by the rest of government, as well as the population, will ensure nothing much changes – in fact, I fear the opposite is possible, that this seeming reconciliatory gesture ends up nothing but a hollow, token one, designed to portray false progress at the expense of genuine progress.

     I hope I’m wrong, but I’m always sceptical when it comes to politicians.

     I am also unconvinced by left wing politicians – again, and no surprise, also so often of British colonial descent – who make their arguments with an air of condescension, as if they unquestioningly have the moral high ground in this matter. And worse, those who then shout racism at anyone who might be even considering a “no” vote, without even hearing the person’s reasons for doing so. For example, what if a person decides to offer their vote to an Indigenous friend as a personal gesture of good will, and that friend in turn asks them to vote “no”?

     That said, I also know for a fact that there are genuine racists – shall we optimistically say a small minority? – who will vote “no” as a product of their ignorance and hate. And on behalf of the rest of us, I would like to say, “go fuck yourselves, because you are a very big part of the problem we face today.”

     Finally, I am unconvinced in general that most politicians give one single shit about minority groups, beyond the goal of securing their vote in the next election.

     What I am convinced of is this. We are voting on an issue that affects the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples more than any other group in this country, by a significant measure. I’m not saying it has no effect on non-Indigenous Australians, but in the greater scheme of things I consider these concerns minor at best, and disgustingly selfish at worst.

     After all, we are talking about the fate of an entire demographic of people here – the First Peoples of this country – and they must have priority in this matter if ever priority was given to anything.

     It should be the right of that people to decide their own fate. It should be their right to decide how we will all move forward together. If every single non-Indigenous person abstained from this vote, then the result would be decided by Indigenous voices alone. This is what it truly means to be given a voice.

     I want the voice of Indigenous Australians to be the voice we listen to and honour in this vote. And I will not assert my will as part of the privileged majority by voting either “Yes” or “No”.

     Thus, I choose option three. To abstain.

     I know it is impractical – a vote on principle alone that will not affect the outcome. I do not even hope to convince others to adopt my position.

     I simply choose to silence my own voice, so that there is a little less noise in the air drowning out the voices of the very people we are supposed to be listening to.

     Thank you for taking the time to read my words.