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Australian PM accused of being ‘deceitful’

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7 years ago

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Canberra, Feb 15 (IANS) Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has been labelled as “deceitful” over his public rejection of enshrining an indigenous voice in the nation’s constitution.

Noel Pearson, an indigenous leader from Cape York in far north Queensland, and other members of the Referendum Council on Thursday expressed their outrage with the Prime Minister over an answer he gave in Parliamentary Question Time on Tuesday, Xinhua news reported.

In response to a question from Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, Turnbull told Parliament that he had warned the Referendum Council that “a representative body available only to Indigenous Australians” was “inconsistent with a fundamental principle of our democracy.”

The Referendum Council is a body that was appointed by Turnbull and Shorten to advise on the best way to formally recognise the indigenous population in the Australian Constitution.

In June 2017, the council recommended that a referendum should be held on establishing an indigenous advisory body that would be consulted by Parliament on legislation and policy affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. However, Turnbull rejected the proposal.

“I also said, being frank and honest, that I thought the prospects of such an amendment to the constitution being successful were absolutely zero, absolutely zero,” the Prime Minister told Parliament on Tuesday.

Pearson said that Turnbull’s assertion on Tuesday was contrary to the advice given to the council in November 2016 that he would genuinely consider any proposal made by the council, including the ‘voice’ to the Parliament.

Pearson said Turnbull’s answer in Parliament exposed “his duplicity in relation to his dealing with Indigenous constitutional recognition” by misrepresenting what he told the council.

“The prime minister had pre-judged the whole dialogue process even before the consultations with indigenous people and the wider Australian community had even commenced,” Pearson told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Thursday.

“His opposition to the ‘voice’ is based on his own opinion and takes no consideration of the outcomes of a public consultation process,” Pearson said.

–IANS
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Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok

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2 months ago

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September 19, 2024

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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.

The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.

Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.

Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.

For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.

During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.

Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.

Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .

Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.

In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.

In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.

He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.

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