Australia Up Close Australian Republic in the People's Hands By DARREN McLEAN	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
オーストラリアが共和国になる？ オーストラリアは200年以上、英国王または女王を国家元首とする立憲君主制を敷いてきました。しかし最近、共和制への移行が論議されています。さて、この問題についての国民の反応は？

Should an Australian be the Australian head of state? This simple question was posed by a former Australian prime minister, Paul Keating, and is the issue under serious debate in Australia at present.

The King or Queen of England has remained Australia's head of state for more than 200 years. The fact that the Queen of England has no political significance in Australia and lives 13,000 km from Australian shores has given rise to the republic debate: whether Australia's traditional ties with the British should be cut, making Australia an independent republic with its own head of state.

ﾃIn the first two weeks of February this year, 146 of Australia's leading politicians debated Australia's constitutional future. This debate, called the Constitutional Convention, consisted of 10 solid days of discussion and deal-making to come up with a clear, detailed model for an Australian republic.

The Constitutional Convention was concerned with answering three main questions. First, should Australia become a republic? Considering that 73 of the 146 delegates were dedicated republicans and only 44 were monarchists, the odds were weighted in favor of the republicans. The other two questions concerned the form that a republic should take and when and how any change should occur.

From the first day of the convention it was obvious that different republican groups had differing opinions on what type of republic Australia should be and what powers an Australian head of state should have. Watching the convention's lengthy negotiations and impassioned speeches on television, it was clear to me how complex it would be for Australia to become a republic.

The most prominent conflict of the convention concerned how an Australian president should be elected. It is obvious that the Australian electorate wants to elect a president by popular vote. Most politicians at the Constitutional Convention, however, warned strongly against this as they believe the Australian public is not qualified to select the right person for the job. It was decided on the final day of the convention to elect the Australian president by a two-thirds majority of parliament.

At the close of the convention, Australia's prime minister, John Howard, declared that it was time for the Australian people to decide. "I have no doubt Australia can conduct a referendum on this issue with vigor, with passion and with meaning, yet in a way which doesn't undermine or fracture the essential values of our society," said Howard.

It seems inevitable that Australia will soon become a republic. This stance is supported by a recent news poll that found 52 percent of Australians want a republic, while only 37 percent want Australia to remain a monarchy. The remaining 11 percent were undecided on the issue.

Kurt Dalton, a friend of mine at university, is one of the many Australians who will vote for a republic. "Australia has been a well established, multicultural country for decades now. It seems logical that we have our own, independent constitution," said Dalton.

The 2000 Olympic Games, to be held in Sydney, are a tremendous opportunity for Australia to present its culture, heritage and people to the entire world. Australia's identity would be spoiled if the Queen of England were to take the spotlight and open the Games. The convention left open the option of Australia becoming a republic before Sydney 2000.

As Australian culture changes, our constitution must change accordingly. Australia's British heritage is now only a single facet of our diverse culture. An Australian republic will also allow the Australian Aborigines to be included in our constitution.

The Constitutional Convention was described as "a turning point in our history" by Mary Delahunty, a member of the Australian Republican Movement. As a result of the Constitutional Convention, Australians will be given the chance to decide their future next year when we vote on whether to sever ties with the British monarchy. After all, in a democratic society the people should decide their own identity.

Shukan ST: March 13, 1998

(C) All rights reserved