Reference News Network September 19 report: Australia's "Pearls and Prickles" website published an article titled "David Mal in Conversation with John Menadue, Founder of 'Pearls and Prickles' Website" on August 26. The following is an excerpt:

John Menadue, founder of the "Pearls and Prickles" website, recently gave an interview to David Mal, host of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's National Radio program "Late Night Live."

Menadue has been involved in many issues that still influence Australia. Later, he founded the think tank Policy Development Centre, launched the "New Satchel" website, and became the founder of the online platform "Pearls and Prickles" website.

"Pearls and Prickles" website logo

"This region is the future"

David Mal asked: Do you think racial factors have made Australians feel insecure or unwilling to engage with neighboring countries or our region?

John Menadue answered: This is undoubtedly one factor. Another important reason is that our media and politicians are still stuck in the London-Washington dead end. Their thinking and actions are like "Australians," a term used by (former Australian Prime Minister) Paul Keating to describe Australians whose positions are deeply influenced by Washington. These "Australians" are deeply rooted in our traditional media. The phenomenon of Americanization is prevalent throughout Australia's media, politics, think tanks, academic institutions, and business sectors. They are everywhere. Our attitudes and behaviors are influenced by historical burdens. This means we are excluded from the region and have a poor understanding of regional affairs.

The media has performed the worst in this regard. We know everything about Trump and the United States, but know very little about Indonesia, Malaysia, and China. So, it's not only indigenous issues that make us ignore the region, but also our firm embrace of the "Anglo-sphere": first London, now Washington.

Americanization is everywhere: movies, media, politicians, and most large Australian companies owned by Americans. They almost completely define the public life of Australians. Politicians and others find it hard to say that we want to build better relations with our region. We are dangerously ignorant of the region, which is our future, not Washington or London.

Question: What happened to the movement where Australians learned languages of the region? There was a time when everyone was learning Malay, Japanese, and Chinese. But now it seems to have disappeared. What happened?

Answer: As you said, language learning in our universities has collapsed. It will be very difficult to restart it. We will try our best, but we have lost a lot of advantages and time.

Question: At some point, you decided to focus on shaping public opinion, including creating a think tank and establishing media platforms. Why did you do this? Do you still believe in the power of "persuasion"?

Answer: Yes. British writer Graham Greene once said, "The only unforgivable sin is despair." There are many things today that make us feel desperate, but I hope to maintain passion and determination to correct and reform the problems I see.

As long as I have time, I will continue to seek opportunities to ensure that we can publish articles from Australian and overseas authors, bringing possibilities for the future that Australians should remember, rather than falling into the American tide and fear of China.

I will remain optimistic. I will not despair. I may be angry like Welsh poet Dylan Thomas at the fading of light, but I hope I can grow old gracefully, making way for successors and encouraging them.

John Menadue, founder of "Pearls and Prickles" website

Attitude towards the US needs to change

Question: Australians need to pay more attention to themselves rather than living in the American tide you mentioned. We don't take our own problems and challenges seriously enough.

Answer: You're absolutely right. The "Australians" mentioned by Keating dominate our media, think tanks, and business circles. They are representatives of American interests, and they consider themselves "Australians." The media is the worst dead end, its thinking is tightly constrained by American propaganda. The Australian government has repeatedly bowed to the United States. Think about the AUKUS alliance.

We allow the United States to establish military bases in Australia, and our sovereignty has clearly suffered in recent years. Now we have multiple American bases. A base for American nuclear-powered submarines is being built along the Western Australian coast, and the Tindal in the north is turning into a base for American military aircraft capable of carrying nuclear weapons.

We are losing our sovereignty. Defense Minister Richard Marles is flirting with the United States. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has shown signs of dissatisfaction with the military colonization of Australia, although he has not yet abolished the AUKUS alliance, he has hinted that we will not pre-commit to joining the conflict if there is a clash between the U.S. and China. But he should now clearly state publicly and privately that we will not participate in any dangerous moves by the U.S. on the Taiwan issue under any circumstances.

Albanese is doing some things that indicate a sign of change. I hope he can strengthen this position, but the most important thing is to abolish the AUKUS alliance as soon as possible.

Question: Do you think Trump's actions (especially his actions on the Ukraine and Israel issues) have given Australia an opportunity to get out of our blind following of the U.S., which we haven't had for a long time.

Answer: Definitely. We can severely criticize the Trump administration's crazy actions, but his behavior is just a warning for Australia. In a way, Trump is just a symptom of the "American disease." He indeed gave us an opportunity to cautiously distance ourselves from excessive commitments to the U.S.

Australians are increasingly doubtful about Trump. I saw a number showing that about two-thirds of Australians have less confidence in the U.S. under Trump's leadership. Signs show that Australians are beginning to realize the need to change their attitude toward the U.S. Trump will help us achieve this. (Translated by Guo Jun)

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