Journey

Colonial of the government does not satisfy us. It’s not the system of government for us. It’s got nothing to do with us.

And yet, you invite us to become citizen of this nation and the country and the subject of the law. And yet you ignore our law. Our rule of Law. So that we can follow your law. 

We are not part of the choice. We were not part of the decision. You done it. To satisfy you, not us.

As a result, we are sitting with them under that service, from what is in their law system. Laws that they put down to set our paths. 

Every Prime Minister that has been elected into this government and the parties are still failing Aboriginal people, the Yolŋu people, the First Nation. 

I call for Treaty. Treaty Now as Mandawuy sang, Yothu Yindi ‘Treaty Now’. And never been happen in his lifetime when he hoped to see Treaty through Yothu Yindi. 

There must be an understanding that we are a sovereign nation. And that system is already there, a different format of election. You know, Yothu Yindi is a term that we use, we allocate responsibility to each other. Yothu (child clan) becomes in power, later there will be ngandi (mother’s clan) will become in power. So the system is there for self-government.

It is time that we create a new platform, a new legal space for two governments to come and sit and talk. This is our way, this is just like our law. When I ask for another clan nation, ‘come and let us sit and talk together’ and consider the law.  And we debate that law for a solution in the Ngärra (sacred law chamber) or in Dhuni (the space of political leadership) or in Makarr-gärma (the publicly accessible space). So that all Yolŋu know what is happening. This is our way. 

And this new Prime Minister is saying all this, saying all sort of things. Telling us this is what he is going to do. Telling us! this is what he is going to, and his government. And his words were a strong words by saying, ‘My government will be welcome for Yolŋu voice in the Parliament’ instead of saying my government will be happy to sit and talk to the law minded political leaders, to all the Djirrikay and Ḏalkarra (senior law men of all clans). We didn’t hear that. 

Where are you leading us?

• Are you leading us into freedom?
• Are you leading us into self-government?
• Are you leading us to become independent nation?
• Are you leading us where we have our own choice?

And we live with that choice.

Do you recognise and respect and honour our leaders?

What’s there for me and my people?

Where are you leading us? I tell you, you are leading us into destruction.