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[2039] Of ghost unseen in a cold Sydney

While I am excited to see the constellations above my head change yet again, I had some consternation about living in Australia for an extended period. Weeks prior to actually first setting my feet Down Under and even days after my arrival, allegations of Australian racism and xenophobia constantly kept my enthusiasm in check.

I would like to think that my reaction is only natural after Indian students not too long ago alleged that they were victims of racism in Australia. Who would not feel so especially if one is unfamiliar with Australian society?

For those who kept abreast with news aboard, they would surely be aware that Indian students in Australia several weeks ago organised several protests — with the largest in Sydney — to highlight what they felt as racially motivated attacks against the Indian community. It was so well highlighted that the whole issue amounted to a minor diplomatic row between Australia and India. It was big enough a brouhaha that the prime ministers of both countries contacted each other, with Kevin Rudd trying to assure Manmohan Singh of the safety of Indian students.

With respect to the protests, the Rudd administration said all the right things and it was a comfortable thing to here. Yet, that is mere politics and it may not necessarily reflect the reality on the ground. As a Malaysian who has lived through one of the most disappointing administrations in Malaysian history, it is easy for me to be sceptical of the words of any government; that attitude only doubles whatever scepticism against the state I have that stems from libertarian tradition.

To be fair, the issue faced by Indian students may be slightly more complex than a simple case of racism. Considerable number of Indians stayed in unsafe areas and this probably contributed to the occurrence of crime that they suffered. There is plethora of other factors too but all of it seems to be specific to the Indian community. And so, I thought, perhaps it was best that I should not be overly worried about the matter.

Yet, anecdotes from friends forced me to rethink about my concern.

During one of those late-nights meet-up with what now to me yet again feels like food served in heaven meant for the gods on our tables, a Malaysian friend of Chinese ethnicity complained how Australia is unbelievably racist. Undergoing his undergraduate studies in the United States, it was the summer holidays and he spent his time visiting his sister in Australia. While I do think he enjoyed his visit, he was clearly disturbed by what he believed was the worst racial abuse he had ever received. A six-year old Australian called him a chink.

Or as he vividly put it, ”A six-year old! Imagine that!” with arms in the air.

He went on to warn me to prepare myself. Among friends in a familiar environment, which was one of Kuala Lumpur’s popular suburbs, I could afford to laugh it off. Now that I find myself in the middle of Sydney and strangers, I am beginning to think it was not as funny as I found it first to be.

Perhaps, it is gross generalisation but a new friend of mine that I met in Sydney suggested that Australians have issues with Chinese from China in particular. He stated that the unfriendly attitude that that Chinese Malaysian friend of mine suffered in Australia was probably due to the inability of Australians to differentiate between overseas Chinese and Chinese from China. I am quite unsure why some Australians have issues with Chinese citizens but I will surely learn more about it later.

Amid that, it calls to mind a racially motivated riot in Cronulla that occurred in 2005 when I was an undergraduate student in the United States. And then, there is Pauline Hanson in the 1990s, a politician who perhaps symbolises not just racism but xenophobia at large in Australia.

All that was enough to convince me to keep my guard up the minute I stepped out of Sydney Airport.

I suppose my current path is similar to the one I took back in 2001 when I found myself adjusting to life in the US with the Sept 11 attacks in the background. Many Malaysians warned me to be careful but while the concern was legitimate, and profiling at airports did occur, time spent in the US was the happiest in my life so far. Rather than suffering xenophobic abuse, I found the US a welcoming place where I enjoyed the greatest freedom I have ever had in my life.

I am beginning to feel confident that my same experience in the US will repeat itself in Australia. I am confident because in spite of my fear of becoming a victim of racism or xenophobia in general, I am happy to state that I have not to suffer any racial abuse so far. People have generally been friendly and helpful. New friends, especially, who I have made are warm enough that I think fighting the winter in Sydney will be a walk in the park.

Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved

First published in The Malaysian Insider on July 20 2009.

By Hafiz Noor Shams

For more about me, please read this.

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