Laurie Brereton, seorang pemimpin pembangkang di Australia menyeru Menteri Luar negara itu, En Downer agar mempertahankan Australia dari ejekan jelek Mahathir. Tetapi Downer enggan pula berbuat demikian dengan satu komen sindiran:

"Saya merasa langkah yang sebaiknya di sini ialah dengan membiarkan bola (kriket) itu terbang dan sampai kepada penyimpannya (keeper)".

Downer juga menyebut beliau tidak sepatutnya bertindak sebagai seorang tukang komen kepada setiap kata-kata Mahathir.

Brereton begitu terkilan oleh serangan Mahathir terhadap sistem pendidikkan Australia dan kebebasan akhbar. Beliau menyebut ada 4 atau 5 akhbar harian Cina yang dikeluarkan di Sydney setiap hari tanpa sedikitpun gangguan atau campur tangan kerajaan.

Tampak jelas di sini Mahathir sudah keterlaluan sehingga mengejek bahasa dan budaya orang. Pertemuan Ust Fadhil Nor dan Downer hanyalah pertemuan biasa yang tiada kena mengena dengan penjajahan atau campurtangan asing kerana ia terbuka dan tidak dirahsiakan. Kalaulah itupun dianggap salah, pertemuan Mahathir dan Castro lebih teruk kerana ia menggugat keselamatan Malaysia.

"Adab kita ziarah, kita jumpa tuan rumah, tak macam Pak Lah (Abdullah Badawi), dia tak ada adab, dia pergi ke Terengganu dia tak jumpa tuan rumah," ujar Ust Fadzil Nor kepada Harakah.

Menurut Fadzil lagi, antara perkara yang dibincangkan dalam pertemuan dengan Menteri Luar Australia itu ialah mengenai suasana di negara ini sekarang, Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA), Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim, perundangan dan hak asasi manusia. ( - Harakah)

[Rujuk: Harakah http://202.157.186.6/Jun/L25jun2001_1.shtml]

KOMEN

Mahathir sebenarnya tidak faham keadaan masyarakat di Australia yang jauh lebih maju mengatasi Malaysia. Mereka tidak perlu sekolah aliran Cina kerana bahasa itu boleh dipelajari jika mahu. Malah universiti di sana menyediakan ijazah dalam bidang bahasa seperti bahasa Cina dan Indonesia kerana ada keperluannya. Contohnya ialah di La Trobe University di mana pembelajaran melalui internet pun disediakan sama. Universiti ini juga mengeluarkan buletin berkala dalam bahasa Cina.

Australia lebih jauh berbilang bangsa daripada Malaysia jika semua bangsa memilikki sekolah mereka akan haru-birulah untuk menyelaraskannya. Budaya dan penduduk Cina tetap terjaga di sini sehingga ada rakyat Malaysia yang telah lari dari Malaysia untuk menetap dan menjadi warga negara di sana! Malah Australia mempunyai satu kementerian khusus menjaga kaum imgiran dan budaya mereka (Immigration and Multicultural Affairs Ministry). Bagaimana dengan Malaysia?

Menurut satu kajian sebuah universiti di Australia, bahasa Cina akan menjadi satu bahasa paling banyak dituturkan di Australia Barat untuk mengatasi bahasa Itali. Apa yang menarik masyarakat Cina Australia menyambut satu hari yang dinamakan Australian Chinese Day untuk merapatkan lagi hubungan dengan kaum lain. (- CCCOWE)

Diskriminasi tetap ada terhadap kaum Cina di mana-mana - termasuk Australia. Tetapi negara itu telah berjaya mengurangkannya melalui kepintaran berbicara. Tidak seperti Mahathir, perdana menteri negara itu tidak pun mengherdik dan mencela rakyat sendiri kerana itu hak rakyat untuk memilih sesiapa. Jika ramai orang tidak menyukai kita - itu bermakna kita yang tidak betul atau haprak sebenarnya. Malangnya Mahathir enggan memperakui hakikat itu pula.

-Terjemahan Ringkas/Ulasan Kapal Berita-

Rujukan:

http://canberra.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp? class=news&subclass=national&category= general%20news&story_id=59810

Call to defend Australia from Malaysian mockery

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer should defend Australia's multicultural record after a mocking by Malaysia, Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Laurie Brereton said yesterday.

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad gave a vivid description at the weekend to his party faithful of Australia as a place that made its Chinese residents learn to speak nasal-vowelled Strine.

The assertion came complete with an appropriately accented quotation from My Fair Lady on the rain in Spain.

But Mr Downer has for the second time in less than a week refused to be drawn into a slanging match with the Malaysian leader, who is ever ready to hold forth on his views on other nations.

"I think the best line we can take on this is just to let this ball fly through to the keeper," Mr Downer told ABC Radio.

"I don't think there is anything to be gained by us responding to this.

"This is domestic politics in Malaysia and we certainly don't wish to interfere with domestic politics there."

Last week, he used the same cricket metaphor to decline to respond to Dr Mahathir's assertion that Australia was interfering in Malaysian domestic politics through Mr Downer's meeting with Islamic politics leaders.

Mr Downer also refused to comment on the Malaysian Chinese Association's decision to take over all major Chinese-language newspapers in Malaysia.

The decision sparked outrage in Malaysia's Chinese community and meant the papers would be under government control as the association is part of Dr Mahathir's ruling coalition.

"I think we will really leave this one alone because we don't want to get into some slanging match with Dr Mahathir. It is not in our national interests and I am not setting myself up as a commentator on everything he says," Mr Downer said.

Mr Brereton said it was not the right response to Dr Mahathir's slurs on the national character.

"I notice that our foreign minister said this morning that this was a ball best left going through to the keeper," Mr Brereton told ABC Radio.

"I would challenge that approach.

"When Australia's multicultural record is seriously misrepresented, as I believe it has been, I think it appropriate for our prime minister and our foreign minister to speak up on behalf of Australia."

Mr Brereton said he was particularly concerned about the attack on Australia's education system and on freedom of the Press, saying there were four or five Chinese-language dailies published in Sydney every day without government interference.

"What you need in these circumstances is a dignified response, one that's quiet, but one that is forthright," he said.