Newly-elected independent Australian MP Dai Le used her maiden speech in Parliament to thank Australia, but maybe it’s Australia who should thank her. After all, Le finally pulled the chain on the most unflushable turd in Australian politics, Kristina Keneally.
As if that wasn’t enough reason for ordinary Australians to love her, Le warmed hearts across middle Australia this week, when she made her maiden speech wearing a traditional Vietnamese ao dai emblazoned with the Australian flag.
‘I’m a proud Australian of Vietnamese heritage and I thought it was such a momentous occasion for me to speak on behalf of my community that I wanted to share how proud I am as an Australian,’ she said.
Daily Mail
Centre and right-leaning commenters across the media and social media embraced Le’s dress, and her speech, but there was much tutting and head-wagging on the left at such unabashed patriotism. Especially when she used her speech to criticise Covid lockdowns, comparing them unfavourably to the communist tyranny her family fled.
As grateful as Ms Le was for how Australians supported her family, she had harsh words for the NSW Covid lockdown last year that was particularly severe in her area.
She compared the restrictions put on western Sydney, which were controversially stronger and more heavily police than the rest of the city, to the communist dictatorship her family fled.
‘We weren’t allowed to travel more than a 5km radius from our homes, we were told to get travel permits, we were forced to get tested every three days, we had helicopters flying around our area as well as police on horseback and men in uniform knocking on people’s doors,’ she said […]
‘The last time I looked, a government that takes away individual’s liberty to choose how they want to live, work, and raise families was called a communist dictatorship – a political system that my family and I escaped from.’
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“The last time I looked, a government that takes away individual’s liberty to choose how they want to live, work, and raise families was called a communist dictatorship”
Perhaps the fact that it took a former child refugee to rebuke the media-political elite for their dictatorial policies triggered them into attack-as-defence. The attacks were led by “Covid-obsessed left-wing political commentator”, former Channel 10 political editor Paul Bongiorno.
‘Independent Dai Le mars a gut wrenching First Speech of refugee survival by wearing an Australian flag and like end (sic) lock downs to Communist suppression. Simply appalling,’ he tweeted.
Bongo’s not exactly unknown for his lefty political hot-takes, of course. But Le’s defenders weren’t taking it lying down.
‘Wearing her traditional ao dai and giving respect to our country for taking her family in and offering them a new life, is a display of respect. It was an amazing maiden speech,’ said one twitter user.
‘The only thing appalling here is your attitude towards this country and those that love it,’ said another.
Speaking to Radio 3AW morning presenter Neil Mitchell, Ms Le shrugged away criticism saying the dress paid homage to her heritage and her love for Australia.
As Le said, the Australian flag represented a second lease on life for her family after fleeing the Fall of Saigon. A new life that ultimately saw their daughter take a seat in the national Parliament. Unlike the Greens’ Mehreen Faruqi who uses the opportunity given her by Australia to relentlessly attack it, Le chose to pay homage.
‘I don’t think it’s disrespectful, as a matter of fact it’s the opposite, it’s actually paying respect to Australia,’ she said.
‘I just wore it in the house, the people’s house, I don’t think I did anything out of disrespect at all.’
Daily Mail
Paying respect to Australia? No wonder the left hates her.
