Page 3598 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 13 September 2017
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such as Ramadan, Diwali, Christmas, the Nara Candle Festival, Chinese New Year and many other similar events. The Canberra Liberals believe that the celebration and observance of International Mother Language Day reinforces the ACT’s pledge to create an inclusive community. My motion today outlines actions that I think would further emphasise our territory’s commitment to minority languages and, importantly, to the rights of cultural identity.
The Canberra Liberals believe it is vital that our community is deeply connected to our heritage—our heritage both locally and abroad. We in the Canberra Liberals of course recognise this diversity. The Canberra Liberals recognise and represent a Canberra that is multicultural. We recognise the value of languages, and that language is intrinsically linked to culture and the importance of supporting the preservation of languages that are spoken here in Canberra or that were spoken by Canberrans.
Language has been established in the international community as an integral human right under multiple instruments. These include the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
This principle has further been enshrined in our own Human Rights Act, with section 27 asserting that any person who belongs to a linguistic minority must not be denied the right, with other members of the minority, to use their language. When these rights are infringed, it is detrimental to the lingual and cultural community, and the broader social fabric and character of our society.
Passionate political movements have been inspired by language and its foundation as a significant part of cultural identity. The date chosen by UNESCO to observe International Mother Language Day, 21 February, is itself a tribute to the language movement of Bangladesh, and in recognition of this fact I also recognise and pay tribute to members of our Bangladeshi and multicultural community here today.
In 1948 the government of the Dominion of Pakistan declared Urdu as the sole national language of the East Bengal province, now known as Bangladesh. The Bengali-speaking people made up the majority of the population, and rose in opposition to defend their language and culture. Protests were held, with the movement reaching a climax on 21 February 1952, when student protesters were killed by police.
In 1956 the constitution of Pakistan was amended to include Bengali as an official language, a direct response to the perseverance of the language movement by the Bangladeshi people. In Bangladesh, Language Movement Day, 21 February, is now observed as a national holiday, commemorating the defenders of their language and their identity. It demonstrates the powerful relationship people have with their language, and the Canberra Liberals believe that the ACT government should support that identity, too.
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