by SEAN CUNNINGHAM
FAIRFIFIELD Falun Dafa practitioners have run into opposition over plans to build a monument at Cabramatta’s Freedom Plaza.
Local followers have started an Australia-wide petition to support the monument which would be engraved with the words, Truth, Compassion and Forbearance, in 27 different languages.
Fairfield Falun Dafa member Willa Huang said the monument would be an Australian first and would have special meaning in Cabramatta.
“Cabramatta is a locality with people of different ethnicities living here,” she said.
“This monument will contribute to peace and harmony in the area.”
A report recently in The Sun-Herald quoted an unnamed Fairfield councillor opposing the monument, stating: “Australians tend not to believe religion should be used for political and divisive purposes”. But Ms Huang denied Falun Dafa was political.
“The teacher, Mr Li Hong Zhi, requests the true practitioner has no interest with politics,” Ms Huang said.
“There are about 100 million practitioners around the world, about 60 million in China Mainland, and 40 million around the other parts of the world.
“All the practitioner is doing is five sets of exercise, requiring ourselves to follow up the principles to become better people.”
Receiving support from former Fairfield mayors, Ms Huang said several other Fairfield councillors have shown their support in the past.
Ms Huang said about 1000 locals had signed the petition within the first four hours of them starting to collect signatures several weeks ago.
“I believe a Truth, Compassion, Forbearance monument for Fairfield City is not a political matter at all, it is a very good sign that our local people want a criterion for how we living together in peaceful and harmony.”
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Posting date: 20/Jan/2003
Original article date: 6/Jan/2003
Category: Media Reports
