‘Yes’ - What if khan colonised Australia?

There’ll be many who’ll read this and claim I’ve no regard for the plight of Indigenous Australians and the pain and suffering they endured since the British Colonised Australia.

I’m sure I’ll be labelled a racist, and they’d be wrong on both counts.

What’s clear, as the debate rages around the Voice to Parliament becomes a contestable hotbed of abuse and bullying toward those who oppose it like Senator Jacinta Price, is the narrative of division enacted by Marcia Langton and the ‘Yes’ campaigners.

They’ve a fomented belief history is theirs to manipulate rather than consider it for what it was at a time when the world was vastly different to what it is now.

There’s the misguided belief history and what colonialism enacted more than 250 years ago supports their right to argue a distorted reality of truth and what historical events may have delivered if circumstances had been different.

Needing to be seen on the right side of history, is understanding history itself.

History’s always a perspective written by the storyteller - a double-sided coin depending which side you lean, leads to the formation of opinions. 

And while the desire remains for Langton and the ‘Yes’ campaign to continue grappling and denying the legacy of colonisation which she and many of her fellow highly educated city-based Indigenous elites have benefited from, there are uncomfortable truths to confront and understand the depths of its impact they need to appreciate, especially on Indigenous Australia.

Here’s a scenario they may want to consider – the realities aren’t true, but the possibilities could’ve been.

What if history had taken a different turn or, instead of the British, Australia had been discovered by Genghis Khan?

The idea may sound far-fetched, but by examining an alternate history gives us a fresh perspective on what could have happened.

Khan was a ruthless conqueror and his reputation for brutality, including the elimination of communities, makes it’s easy to imagine the dire consequences Indigenous Australians would’ve faced had he discovered Australia and not Cook.

Indigenous Australians would have been victims of a brutal military campaign.

And had Khan or a similarly ruthless conqueror invaded Australia’s indigenous community, they would have likely been eliminated and what would that alternative Australia look like in 2023?

Had Khan, not the British, discovered Australia, an alternate history is confronted that could have been even more devastating for Indigenous Australians.

This doesn't lessen the impact of European colonisation but offers a glimpse into a timeline of possibly greater suffering.

History could have taken a darker turn for Indigenous Australians had they been discovered by Khan instead of the British.

The devastation wrought by colonisation remains indisputable, but Price is right when she argues colonisation by the British has ultimately been beneficial for Indigenous Australians.

British law, though oppressive in many ways, laid the groundwork for civil rights movements and land return cases, avenues likely absent under Mongol rule.

Aspects of Indigenous Australian culture have survived, albeit with loss and alteration, while Mongol rule could have resulted in near-total erasure.

As controversial as it is to say, elements of modernity like medicine, technology, and education have impacted Indigenous communities - whether these 'benefits' outweigh the losses remains highly disputed.

Price’s argument the "Voice to Parliament," might not be in the best interest of a unified Australia, could be seen as a reclamation of Australia rather than a move towards national unity.

“Instead of moving toward a unified nation,” Price says, it could perpetuate division by cementing different classes of citizenship based on ethnicity.

And Price is right.

Price says, “Many Indigenous communities are more concerned with immediate issues like healthcare, education, and employment than constitutional recognition.”

Agree or disagree with Price's views, they add another layer to ongoing discussions about Australia's colonial past and its current efforts to reconcile with Indigenous Australia.

While hypothetical scenarios and controversial opinions provide alternative lenses to examine these complex issues, they come with the risk of simplifying or undermining the very real challenges that Indigenous Australians face today.