Kamahl reveals the real reason he is voting No in Voice referendum

The famed singer has revealed he will be voting No in the upcoming Voice to Parliament referendum — sharing his choice in an unusual way.

Famed singer Kamahl has revealed he will be voting No in the upcoming referendum — admitting he “doesn’t understand” what the Voice to Parliament actually is.

The Malaysian-born star, now 88, made the announcement on the social media site X, formally known as Twitter, by changing the lyrics to John Farnham’s song You’re the Voice, the official song for the Yes side, to announce his voting intentions.

“What’s the Voice, I just don’t understand it. It’s just noise and it’s not clear. Vote no-o-oh-oh, o-o-o,” he wrote.

“We’re not going to vote Apartheid. We don’t want one race privilege. Vote no-o-oh-oh.”

He captioned the lyrics writing “I’m voting NO because I don’t understand it”.

He then urged his followers to listen to his song, recorded in 1998 titled What is Australia to Me?

“It’s the song I recorded in 1988, but nobody listened! Please listen to it now. It’s not too late! It’s on YouTube!,” he wrote.

The song is a love letter to Australia and includes the lyrics:“What is Australia to me? The house and the bridge, My neighbour down the street, The proud and smiling faces of the people that I meet.”

Kamahl told news.com.au there were “other priorities for Indigenous Australians” rather than the Voice.

“I don’t know what they are going to achieve out of it,” he said.

“If it is so good, why is it dividing the Indigenous community?”

He hit back at Aussies who say he shouldn’t have an opinion on the Voice because he is Malaysian-born, revealing he has experienced significant racism since he moved to Australia over 70 years ago.

“Blackness is something I can’t wash away,” he said.

“In spite of my success there is always the feeling you are not as good as a white man.

“You always feel secondary to people as a black person in a white society.”

Kamahl said his thoughts are framed by arriving in Australia during the White Australia policy.

“I was only meant to be here temporarily,” he said. “The policy was a very real form of racism.”

The popular singer and TV star admitted in 2021 it “hurt” being subjected to racist jokes on the variety show Hey Hey It’s Saturday, pointing out that the same gags wouldn’t have been played out on white performers.

Appearing on Studio 10 in 2021, he said of the saga: “There is a reason why they did what they did.

“The reason is that I was successful … They couldn’t understand it … It’s a form of envy, jealousy, hate. It was their form of cutting the tall poppy down.

“It hurt, of course it hurt. It’s terrible to be humiliated. I know they wouldn’t hit John Farnham or Jimmy Barnes in the face with a powder puff, but the root of it was I was too successful for them … If I was a nobody, they wouldn’t have done anything.”

As the uproar over the resurfaced clips raged Daryl Somers publicly apologised to Kamahl, saying the show “never set out to offend anybody” and that “all members of the Hey Hey team do not condone racism in any form”.

Kamahl, with his former wife Sahodra.

Voice to parliament

Aussies will vote on the historic Indigenous rights referendum on October 14.

The Yes campaign will need to win four states and the national result to carry the required “double majority” for constitutional change.

Opinion polls this month suggest the proposal is headed for defeat.

Last week a poll from RedBridge marked the lowest poll result for the Yes campaign so far – with an overwhelming 61 per cent planning to vote No.

The poll was conducted in the first week of September, following Anthony Albanese’s announcement the referendum would be held on October 14.

Australians will be asked in the referendum: “A Proposed Law: to alter the constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice. Do you approve this proposed alteration?”

If a majority of Australians vote in favour of the Voice, the Constitution would be amended as follows:

1. There shall be a body, to be called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice;

2. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice may make representations to the parliament and the Executive Government of the Commonwealth on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

3. The parliament shall, subject to this Constitution, have power to make laws with respect to matters relating to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice, including its composition, functions powers and procedures.

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