Arvamus nr. 2

Toimetuse poolse tekstitoimetamisega pole päris rahul. Mõtteid on muudetud. Aga jah, toimetamine ei allu minu kontrollile.
http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=12356

Originaal:

Colonial hangover won't digest Julia Gillard

I have often wondered why it is that the Australian people don't seem to like their first female prime minister. Is it really just because of the Carbon Tax? Or the fact that Julia Gillard made a strong political move and joined forces with the Greens and Independents after elections? Or is it really that Julia Gillard is the “Liar” Australians won't digest? Or the emotionless Julia Gillard. You would think that the nation would be proud to have a strong female figure in politics, but that doesn't seem to be the case with Australia and with Julia Gillard.

In politics there is plenty of male power and few female leaders. Though we are discussing gender equality the reality from all around the world is showing only a handful of strong, independent female leaders. The most prominent female politician is probably current chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel who's doing all in her power to keep the Euro-zone intact.

Then we have Iceland's prime minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, also the world's first openly gay head of government of the modern era. She was brave enough to stand up for the protection of Wikileaks and Julian Assange. From Asia there is a new political figure Yingluck Shinawatra who is set to become Thailand's first female prime minister. There are female queens and presidents, but those roles don't carry heavy burden of politicians everyday life. The burden lies on politicians. And in politics women won't get flowers and open doors just for looking pretty.

I really do think that even now in 21 century it is harder for women to move towards power and leadership as the club is still full of male testosterone - and men are not giving up their ruling willingly. Another thing is with women who have made it – like Julia Gillard. Public opinion hasn't still quite figured out how to picture their first female Prime Minister. Maybe the Australian mindset wasn't quite ready for a woman-leader, who is not married, living together with her partner, not having children, red-head and ruling the country?

She's quite the opposite to the former colonial mindset which was more about men who were the family heads, main supporters, leaders and decision makers. Women stayed in the home and took care of family, prepared meals for their children and husband. Australian women gained voting rights to all adult women for Federal elections from 1902 (with the exception of Aboriginal women in some states!). Time is now 2011, but smart female political figures are still rare.

Julia Gillard has made it the big way, but still she has to face questions like “Can not married women be a good representative of Australia?” (question asked by a teenage girl in ABC-s Q&A show) or face extremely hostile audience while answering to questions from people all over the country about Carbon Tax. I felt deeply moved at how well our Prime Minister has kept her balance despite various crowds hostility with sophisticated language skills and also smiles and friendliness.

You hear it said so often that Australia is a country down under and going backwards – in tackling Climate Change in government level that spell got broken. Gillard has shown that she is the leader of a great country that is looking forward and moving forwards. Applause.

We all know that Anthony John "Tony" Abbott will keep on selling to everybody the idea of the Prime Minister being the biggest liar of all times by promising before elections no carbon tax.

Julia Gillard forming the government by the support of the Greens and Independents changed the whole picture. And that is also quite something indigestible for many as traditional two-party system was broken into a hung parliament, which is in itself an absolutely democratic move formulated under leadership of Julia Gillard.

Tony Abbot did not sell his policies well enough and that counts for his own misfortune and bad negotiation skills. I reckon it is definitely time to forget and forgive to our Prime Minister saying no to carbon tax before elections as the election result was something neither of our big parties were anticipating.

Politicians must make compromises while having in mind what is the common sense and better good for the whole countries future. Maybe in future multicultural Australia will see even more hung parliaments as it would be quite naïve to think that two-party system could represent all the voices and diversity of multicultural Australia.

Julia Gillard has shown at least twice good leadership, firstly by forming hung parliament and secondly by accepting carbon tax. She has been also a master of navigating in the stream of negativity. A strong unmarried yet educated, independent women as leader is something many Australians still don't want to accept. Being a women is not a weakness and she has proven that. After all she can't be perfect, she is a politician.