CANBERRA, Australia -- The success of a major project to promote racial harmony in Australia plunged further into doubt on Wednesday after several prominent Aboriginal leaders said they would boycott a major reconciliation ceremony.
For the past nine years, the government-formed Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation has been working on a declaration of measures designed to promote racial harmony in Australia.But a ceremony in Sydney on May 27, at which the declaration is to be presented, has been dogged by controversy over its inclusion of a call for an official apology for past mistreatment of Aborigines -- a move opposed by Prime Minister John Howard.
Patrick Dodson, the man dubbed the father of reconciliation and the council's inaugural chairman, decided not to attend this month's Sydney event, called Corroboree 2000, over frustration at government handling of the apology issue.
He told reporters he would not attend because the time had come "to take serious action, letting the government clearly know that we're not satisfied with this Mickey Mouse way it deals with reconciliation and with Aboriginal people."