If I told you to picture a One Nation supporter, what sort of vision would you form in your mind?
What if I told you that he was a small business owner with a flagpole in his front yard, proudly flying the national flag?
A man who describes Pauline Hanson as “fantastic to be honest with you”, and “someone who loves her own country so much, that’s not racist”.
Who says to migrants: “you come to this country, embrace the Australian way of living, or you know what, stay where you are – that’s my view”.
Ronil’s answer shocked the audience. Picture: SBS
One Nation supporter Ronil Prasad flies the Australian flag in his Melbourne front yard. Picture: Supplied
Who rebuffs claims of racism by Ms Hanson thus: “If someone comes into my house, I will protect my house from someone if they’re bringing different values into my house and trying to teach my kids something different… well, you know what, you’re not welcome”.
No doubt you’ve formed your mental picture.
Was it of a migrant from Fiji named Ronil Prasad?
Because that’s the bloke – and he appeared on SBS program Insight this week to explain his support of One Nation.
His family fled a Fijian military coup four decades ago and he considers his identity to be wholly Australian.
“We came here to be Australian, and I call myself Australian – I don’t call myself Fijian or Indian,” he said on Insight.
No doubt he will have since copped flack from migrant activists and know-it-alls who believe they know what is best for all migrants.
Mr Prasad has committed the greatest sin of all for a non-white Australian – to reject the politics of victimhood, say he considers himself wholly of this country and vocalise the obvious truth that every country, including ours, ought to protect its identity.
After all, isn’t that why migrants come here in the first place? Isn’t it because they think Australia is better than where they’ve come from? Otherwise they’d have no reason to migrate. And if they believe Australia to be better, of course they’d want to protect the country to which they moved.
But many reject these simple facts and instead prefer to claim Australia is a racist country – and that One Nation and its supporters typify that institutional racism.
Racists like Mr Prasad, apparently.
