News that Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who has managed to cling to power with the support of a handful of independents in the Australian Parliament, has appointed Penelope Ying-yen Wong as Finance Minister is bittersweet for Malaysia.

Penny Wong australia finance minister Born to a Hakka Chinese father in Sabah and a white mother, Penny Wong ( left ) - as she is popularly known - grew up in Australia where she had first-hand experience with racism and discrimination in the early years. Fortitude and perseverance prevailed, and she rose to become a minister in Kevin Rudd’s cabinet in 2007. Her latest shift to a more important cabinet post is noteworthy indeed.

It again indicates how far Australia has trodden since the abolition of the White Australia policy in 1973, which had lasted for more than seven decades, not to mention the Stolen Generations that broke the hearts and spirits of countless indigenous people and continue to inflict emotional pains today.

(Gillard should of course be appreciative of the contributions made by non-native Australians. After all, she herself was born in Wales, Britain, and migrated with her parents to the land Down Under in the 1960s.)

No doubt, the reverberations of Wong’s steady rise to power are keenly felt by Malaysians, the non-Malays and Sabahans in particular.

Some lament the fact that there has been no non-Malay Finance Minister in Malaysia since 1974, while the country’s talent pool has seen severe depletion over the years. But there is a misconception here: contrary to what many believe, the second most important cabinet minister under the Australian political system is the Treasurer, currently Wayne Swan, and Wong’s new role is to supplement him. However, she is a full-rank minister in her own right.

Much has been mentioned about Wong by Malaysian commentators: an ex-Malaysian, a native girl of Sabah, the first Asian to be entrusted with the significant cabinet post in Australia and, of course, a woman. Her achievements thus far clearly prove that Australian society continues to break the glass ceiling.

First Labor MP to ‘come out’

Yet there is one equally - if not more - critical aspect of Wong’s identity that has been largely left out of the enthusiastic discussion by Malaysians: she is also a lesbian.

In 2004, Wong made national headlines when she became the first Australian Labour parliamentarian to ‘come out’ while objecting to the then-prime minister John Howard’s attempts to deny gay parents the right to adoption.

george w bush awards three friends of america tony blair john howard 140109 03 Howard’s argument was premised on the ‘received wisdom’ that “marriage… in our society, is about children, having children, raising them, providing for the survival of the species”. And his views were echoed by other leaders ranging from Bill Clinton and George W Bush to Tony Blair.

(Therefore, the word ‘marriage’ is not applicable to same sex union in the United Kingdom today. Instead, it is called ‘civil partnership’. Well, better than nothing for now.)

However, I was very much surprised when Wong, during election campaign two months back, announced her full support of her party’s ban on officially recognising gay relationships in Australia because there was “a cultural, religious and historical view” against it, something that she “had to” respect.

There was a time when Australia was against women in politics and matrimony between whites and non-whites (especially the aborigines), but the country has moved on to become one of the most multicultural nations in the world.

But many courageous and just-minded Australians fought vociferously and persistently to have all these man-installed hurdles consigned to the dustbin of history. Wong, a woman and an Australian of mixed parentage, has these pioneers to thank for her advancement today.

The funny thing is, one opinion poll after another clearly shows that the majority of Australians are prepared to accept same-sex unions in the country. So what is stopping Wong from dismantling the last egregious piece of discrimination against people like her? I am no wiser than anyone.

australia gay lesbian mardi gras parade 110309 03 Frankly, I am at a loss as to how she shall reconcile her party’s stance with her sexual orientation, which I trust is an inalienable part of her being. All I know is, despite her dismal performance in her previous cabinet post, she has now been made the second most powerful person at the Treasury.

Be so as it may, being a homosexual did not bar Wong from public office in Australia, and her political career has never looked more promising. Since coming out, there has been no vilification of or gutter politics against her based on her sexual identity, at least not by her political rivals, the press, the public or the religious establishment.

Again, she in some way is enjoying the fruits of diversity made possible by those who bravely took up the cause in the 1970s through to the 1980s.

The same cannot be said of Malaysia. Yes, non-Malays and non-Muslims in Malaysia are encouraged by Wong’s political success against all odds, but would they also lend support to an openly gay or lesbian Malaysian to assume public office?

Dawn still a long way off

Judging from a good number of prejudiced and negative responses to the issue lately, I am afraid the dawn for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities is still a long way off.

One argument that these letter writers relish in making is that homosexuality does not promote production of offspring. Quite plainly, this binary distinction is anointed by people who regard heterosexual desire as the only one worthy of marriage, while denying that same-sex love can be just as deep and genuine as love between man and woman.

Perhaps they should be reminded that many heterosexual couples wept to death at their failure to produce children before in-vitro fertilisation was introduced like glad tidings in the early 1970s, and many Christian couples have resorted to the technology over the years. Prove me wrong, though.

Rest assured, this pervasive prejudice will not go away even if Pakatan Rakyat managed to capture Putrajaya. The biggest stumbling block is no doubt PAS, but does one honestly think there are no bigots in other political parties too? There must be, just that they are disguised under the pretentiously liberal face, just like many gays and lesbians living in the closet in Malaysia.

Australia is generous enough to embrace Wong. Imagine that the talented and capable girl from Sabah had not migrated but remained in Malaysia, and suddenly revealed her sexual orientation at the height of her political career, what fate do you think would befall her?

JOSH HONG studied politics at London Metropolitan University and the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. A keen watcher of domestic and international politics, he longs for a day when Malaysians will learn and master the art of self-mockery, and enjoy life to the full in spite of politicians.