Kamahl has changed his mind about the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, declaring his vote ‘yes’ three weeks after the referendum, in a shockwave to the proposal.
The Malaysian-born Australian entertainer took to X late Thursday night to declare he had changed his mind, just a week after announcing he would vote No.
Kamahl revealed that he endured “sleepless nights” wondering how he would vote before deleting the tweet Friday morning.
“After spending sleepless nights weighing the pros and cons, I’ll be damned and vote YES,” he wrote.
‘Coincidentally, I was on ‘Journey out of Darkness’ as an Aboriginal prisoner in 1967, just before THE Referendum.’
The sudden change of heart was sparked when he met comedian Dane Simpson and constitutional lawyer Eddie Synot on Wednesday, after Kamahl admitted to Daily Mail Australia last week that he was not fully trained on The Voice.
‘I am ashamed. Until Monday or Tuesday, I didn’t realize that they (indigenous people) were considered not human,” he said.
“I can’t…” he said, bursting into tears. “For me it’s a matter of heart and mind,” he said.
He told Simpson and Synot that his “hesitation was based on insufficient knowledge of how the whole thing works.”
He said: ‘Hopefully the right people with the right minds, hearts, ability and knowledge will make this a reality.’
Australian entertainer Kamahl (right) has suddenly changed his mind about the Voice
He said he wished there was a way to “do it without giving the impression that any race of people was being favored,” but acknowledged that Indigenous voices were being ignored in the political space.
“Ultimately, I’m here to help rather than hinder. “If the yes vote helps, then so be it,” he said.
‘It’s a positive thing to do. I don’t think I would achieve anything by voting no. If I can do something good, I would rather do it than regret it next time.”
The backflip comes days after a video was revealed showing Indigenous sporting legend Cathy Freeman throwing her support behind the Yes campaign and urging fellow Australians to do the same.
Nine days ago, Kamahl said he didn’t understand what the advisory body would mean for the country and shared a meme of John Farnham’s song You’re The Voice, the soundtrack to the Yes campaign, but changed the lyrics to reflect his personal views to give. at the time.
‘What is the voice, I just don’t understand it. It’s just noise and it’s not clear. Vote no-o-oh-oh,” read the meme Kamahl shared on September 13.
‘We are not going to vote for apartheid. We don’t want any racing privileges. Vote no-o-oh-oh.”
Along with the meme, Kamahl said he voted no because “I don’t understand it all.”
Kamahl’s (center) sudden change of heart was prompted by a conversation with comedian Dane Simpson (left) and constitutional lawyer Eddie Synot (right)
The backflip is a surprising boost for the Voice proposed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
Kamahl admitted at the time that he had not been fully educated in the Voice and did not rule out changing his mind.
“I have to admit I might go back and do some more homework on it before I finally vote, I’ve been a bit lazy,” he told Daily Mail Australia.
“I was a little lighthearted because of the song. “I’ve known John (Farnham) since 1971 and I was a little surprised that the number was used – if it was used with his full knowledge or if he was conned into giving it out.”
“I don’t think there’s any doubt about the need for more inclusivity for Indigenous people, but I don’t know if this is the way to do it.”
He provided an update on his conflicting views earlier this week.
“The Voice contradicts the principle of equality of citizenship that anchors and binds our nation together.” My heart says YES, my mind says NO. I remain restless,” he wrote.
Australian entertainer Kamahl (right) spent many sleepless nights making his decision