更新於 ：2023-04-27 10:28

3月25日中午，我走進位於Homebush的一個投票站，投下了神聖的一票，表達了我對候選人的選擇。

儘管最後的民意測試顯示，工黨的支持率略高於自由黨，但我個人認為，自由黨在這次大選中失敗的可能性很高。不是自由黨政府做的不好，而是在於自由黨執政十二年了，民意也想換換口味了，也希望給工黨一個表現的機會。

民主國家的民眾就是這樣任性，我可以決定誰執政，做得不好四年之後把你趕下台。而對於華人政客來說，不論加入了哪個黨派，每次大選也都是一次表現自己、讓社會評判的舞台。

就在大選之前幾天，網路上爆出新州年輕的自由黨華裔人士Andy Yin 對新州自由黨高層的抱怨與投訴，他在一個專訪節目中稱，作為新州Strathfield選區的候選人申請者，他未被自由黨審核委員會（NRC）提名是基於「華人血統」及「種族歧視」。據澳廣ABC報道，人權委員會（HRC）也因此接受了Andy Yin的正式投訴，開始進行調查。

該話題在大選日的前夜成為華人社區的熱議的焦點，自由黨再次面臨對華人「種族歧視」的指控。人們相信，這樣的熱議或多或少會影響到選舉結果。

報道稱，Andy Yin向參與他的審核面試的五人提出了投訴，包括新州州長Perrottet、新州多元文化廳長Mark Coure、自由黨新州董事Christopher Stone、黨務經理Wilson Chessell和黨主席Maria Kovacic。

自由黨在Strathfield選區的候選人最終被提名為John-paul-baladi與工黨華裔候選人Jason Li對壘。年輕的Baladi是蘇丹裔，很早就加入了自由黨，並在Strathfield長大。

Homebush 是Strathfield市政府所在地，在市政府附近有一家別緻的咖啡館，女主人Virginia Cheong 能說一口流利的中文。

「Andy Yin失去提名資格與種族歧視毫無關係。」 Virginia Cheong不假思索地說道。

Virginia Cheong 說：「新州多元文化廳長Mark Coure以及Matt Keen和Damien Tudehope都曾來找過我，表示支持我作為Strathfield選區的候選人參選，我也是華人呀。」

原本Cheong女士也可能成為候選人，但她在思考後婉拒了，原因有兩個。「首先我與Jason Li很熟，我不想與他競爭；其次自己的生意實在很忙，很難集中精力參選。」 她說。

Virginia Cheong 認為，申請人應該尊重自由黨審核委員會的選擇，指控「種族歧視」是荒謬的。

「John-paul 是一個誠實負責的自由黨人，Andy Yin更注重能力與影響力。」 Virginia Cheong說；「Andy Yin很有錢，曾先後捐獻了幾萬給自由黨。但他個人的經濟創造力不過硬，所以他的財富來源會被調查。」

Cheong女士表示，Andy Yin聲稱錢來自其父母，但他父母的錢從何而來呢？會不會與中共當局有關聯呢？她說，這不是不相信誰，而是NRC 詳細調查Andy Yin的財富來源以及與一些公司機構的關係是非常正常、也是非常必要的行為。

說來也算巧合，只是為了喝一杯咖啡，意外地與咖啡店老闆Virginia Cheong作了一個五分鐘的採訪，她鼓勵有能力的華人能夠積極參政，也認為Andy Yin是一位有前途的年輕人。

我也在投票現場與John-paul-baladi作了簡單對話，他就如Cheong女士所言，顯得厚道誠實。我環顧四周都是紅衣服的拉票人員，問他贏的幾率有多高，他笑而不答，只是對我的關心表示感謝。

不知道是自由黨團隊的管理不善，還是對Strathfield選區缺乏信心，僅看投票站的外圍，工黨已經占足了優勢。

我認為華人參政真的很難，難就難在身後有所在黨勢力與紅色勢力同時在發揮影響力，畢竟真正地維護澳洲價值觀需要付出勇氣與代價。但不管怎樣，樂於參政的華人首先應該誠實、目標明確，否則很難獲得他人的尊重。

當我準備發布這篇文章時，媒體已經傳出消息，大勢已去，工黨領袖Chris Minns準備發表勝選演說了，這是新州工黨在時隔12年後，再次回到歷史性的執政舞台，目前，整個澳大利亞就剩塔州還在自由黨的掌控中，其餘都已經是歸工黨了。

25-03-2023

(English Vision)

Racial discrimination? The role of Chinese-Australians in politics

 By Yan Xia

On March 25th, I walked into a polling station located in Homebush and cast my vote in the Australian election. Despite the final opinion polls showing slightly higher support for the Labor party than the Liberal party, I personally believe that the Liberal party has a high chance of losing this election. It’s not because the Liberal party hasn’t done well in governance, but rather because they have been in power for twelve years, and the public wants to try something new and give the Labor party a chance to perform.

The people of a democratic country are capricious in this way. I can decide who governs, and if you don’t perform well, you’ll be kicked out of office after four years. For Chinese-Australian candidates, regardless of which party they join, each election is a stage to showcase themselves and be judged by the general public.

Just a few days before the election, a young Chinese-Australian member of the Liberal party, Andy Yin, made complaints and accusations against the New South Wales Liberal party’s leadership in an interview. He claimed that as a candidate applicant for the Strathfield electorate, he was not nominated by the Liberal party’s National Review Committee (NRC) based on “Chinese ethnicity” and “racial discrimination.” According to ABC News, the Human Rights Commission (HRC) has formally received Andy Yin’s complaint and is investigating it.

The topic became the focus of discussion within the Chinese community on the eve of the election, and the Liberal party once again faced accusations of “racial discrimination” against the Chinese. People believe that such discussions may more or less affect the election results.

Reportedly, Andy Yin filed complaints towards the five people who participated in his review interview, including New South Wales Premier Perrottet, Minister of Multiculturalism Mark Coure, New South Wales Liberal party director Christopher Stone, Party Affairs Manager Wilson Chessell, and Party Chairman Maria Kovacic.

Ultimately, the Liberal party’s candidate for the Strathfield electorate was nominated as John-Paul Baladi, who will compete against the Labor party’s Chinese-Australian candidate Jason Li. The young Baladi is of Sudanese descent and joined the Liberal party early on and grew up in Strathfield.

Homebush is the location of Strathfield City Council, where there is a quaint café near the council building. The owner, Virginia Cheong, speaks fluent Chinese. “Andy Yin losing his nomination has nothing to do with racial discrimination,” Virginia Cheong said without hesitation. “Mark Coure, the Minister for Multiculturalism in NSW, as well as Matt Keen and Damien Tudehope have come to me and expressed their support for me to run as a candidate in the Strathfield electorate. I am also a Chinese-Australian.”

Cheong could have been a candidate herself, but after careful consideration, she declined for two reasons. “Firstly, I am friends with Jason Li, and I do not want to compete with him. Secondly, my business is very busy, and it is difficult for me to concentrate on running for office,” she said.

Virginia Cheong believes that applicants should respect the Liberal Party’s selection process and that accusing them of “racial discrimination” is absurd. “John-Paul is an honest and responsible Liberal Party member, while Andy Yin is more focused on ability and influence,” Virginia Cheong said. “Andy Yin is very wealthy and has donated tens of thousands of dollars to the Liberal Party. However, his personal economic prowess is not strong enough, so that’s why the source of his wealth was investigated.” 

Cheong said that Andy Yin claims his money comes from his parents, but where did his parents’ money come from?  Could it be related to the Chinese Communist Party? She said that it is not a matter of mistrust but that it is normal and necessary for the NRC to investigate Andy Yin’s sources of wealth and his relationships with some companies and organizations.

It was a coincidence that I had an interview with Virginia Cheong for just five minutes while enjoying a cup of coffee. She encouraged capable Chinese-Australians to participate in politics and also believed that Andy Yin is a promising young man.

I also had a brief conversation with John-Paul Baladi at the polling station, who, like Cheong, appeared honest and straightforward. I looked around at the Labor campaign workers in red shirts. When I asked him about his chances of winning, he just smiled and thanked me.

I think it is really difficult for Chinese-Australians to participate in politics, mainly because they face the influence of the party they are in and the influence of the Chinese government. After all, truly upholding Australian values requires courage and sacrifice. But no matter what, Chinese-Australians who are willing to participate in politics should be honest and have clear goals. Otherwise, it is difficult to earn the respect of others.

As I was preparing to publish this article, the media had already reported that the tide had turned, and Labor leader Chris Minns was preparing to deliver his victory speech. This marks the historic return of the NSW Labor Party to the stage after 12 years. Currently, only Tasmania is still under the control of the Liberal Party in Australia, while the rest have all gone to Labor.

25 March 2023