#VoiceToParliament #Treaty #Truth #NeitherYesNorNo #Yes23 #SovereignNo

Public Statement on Treaty and the Voice, from Rev Dr Djiniyini Gondarra OAM, Senior initiated clan leader of the Yolŋu Nation of North East Arnhem Land:

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"In my 78 years living and working in both worlds, I have witnessed the Australian Government continuously hand pick Indigenous people that behave like the Master Slave, mirroring what the Government says, while they ignore the voices of clan leaders and community members who challenge them and the system they are operating under. This is nothing less than dictatorship and the continuation of the dividing and conquering of my people.

The Yes or No approach you are forcing upon the country divides people into conflicting camps while distracting them from what the real problems are. Your proposed “Voice” cannot represent the views of all First Nations across Australia because our experiences and needs are not all the same. Centralised decision making has never worked for us and fails all of humanity. That is why we need our original clan-based leadership and decision-making processes, that we have used for tens of thousands of years, to be recognised and respected.

I question this referendum and the value of the “Voice” that it offers, so I will be voting No.

But because of this, you cannot categorize me beside people like Jacinta Price or some of the racist voices also saying No. They have their own reasons. This is so much more than just a Yes or No situation. Where is our right to choose Neither?"

https://indigenousx.com.au/treaty-and-the-voice/

#VoiceToParliament #Treaty #Truth #NeitherYesNorNo #TreatyBeforeVoice

Public Statement on Treaty and the Voice, from Rev Dr Djiniyini Gondarra OAM, Senior initiated clan leader of the Yolŋu Nation of North East Arnhem Land:

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"Since the referendum in 1967 when balanda (non-Indigenous) voted for my people to become citizens of a country we already belong to, you have stripped our leaders of their dignity and authority, and you have made us subject to devastating laws and policies that you have forced upon us.

For decades, these laws and policies have deprived my people of their basic human rights, access to their land and waters and their God given freedom. And now you are forcing upon us a tokenistic solution to the chaos you have created using the same system that has held us hostage from the very beginning. If my people vote Yes in your upcoming referendum, it is only because we are grasping for some kind of hope, but it is a false hope."

https://indigenousx.com.au/treaty-and-the-voice/