Sahana Ramesh for Wyndham

Meet Sahana Ramesh for Wyndham
Harrison Ward

If you live in Harrison ward are of Wyndham, this is why you may consider to vote for Sahana Ramesh

If elected, Sahana explains her top priorities as below: 

Wyndham is a fast growing city, with a rich diversity of people.  Many are first generation immigrants and many are first home owners purchasing in new estates.  This means Wyndham has a relatively high rate of mortgage stress and vulnerability due to Covid-19 job losses, and is at the forefront of creating and maintaining a healthy multicultural culture. 

So my top three priorities are –

  1. getting through the Covid-19 pandemic with a strong and robust community,
  2. improving transport infrastructure to support the rapid population growth,
  3. working with community leaders to keep improving on our ability to celebrate diversity and live in a community where we have equality and respect for all.  

Do you think your local council is appropriately representative of your community and its interests?

Wyndham’s fantastic diversity of people makes it a challenge to have quality blanket coverage of everyone’s interests in just one council.  The current council is doing a great job with the limited resources at its disposal, and engaging with community leaders.  Having said that, all levels of government in Australia have a very low percentage of non-english speaking representatives, and Wyndham is no different. 

Hopefully the large number of Indian candidates running this term should make some improvements on this.

What would you like to say to a potential voter to vote for you?

Post Covid-19, will Wyndham be ready?

I truly believe that Wyndham can be a 2030 Smart City, built on strong economic growth and strong community happiness.  If we work together and share the burden of this pandemic, we will not only enter 2021 a strong city, we will be a more united city.  And we will have the foundations to start using the once in a lifetime opportunity to transform our way of life to be so much better.

To achieve this, I have set out the 7 key areas that we need to focus on:

  1. Local transport infrastructure
  2. Inclusive & disability friendly recreation spaces
  3. Better outdoor sporting facilities
  4. More support for local business
  5. Quality communal areas
  6. Carbon neutral and green spaces for a greener wyndham
  7. Equality & Respect for ALL.

Let us use this opportunity to transform Wyndham into a world-class Smart City, that you are proud and truly happy to live in.

 

As a member of the Victorian community do you think migrant communities are appropriately looked after by the mainstream political parties in Victoria?

There is much room for improvement in the way Australia handles immigration and cultural integration.  First generation immigrants face the challenges of language barriers, lack of local work experience, stereotypes routinely built around only the worst aspects of their culture, and lack of knowledge of their new surroundings.  In addition, for Asians that are migrating from a collectivist society, where support for family and friends is very strong, the loss of community, the loss of family during this transition can make them feel very isolated.

There is a method to integrating waves of new immigrants into the Australian culture and society.  At times we have done this well, but often we are still failing at this critical task… To celebrate diversity and multiculturalism, we need a culture of inclusivity and respect.  We need to showcase the upsides of what each overseas culture brings to Australia, while respecting the privacy and space for our new citizens to adjust in comfort and support.

 

As Victorian of Indian/Asian descent what do you miss most about India / your country of origin here or what do you fondly remember?

With a population of over 1.2 billion people, it’s hard not to miss them (no pun intended). Indians are known for their amiable nature and warm hospitality. The popular phrase ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’, meaning ‘Guest as God’ is the ethos of the Indian people and culture. Whether you’re lost in the crowd or in case of any emergency, they are ever ready to help. This warmth and spirit is something you will certainly miss.

 

Sahana’s view of how our state government and Opposition have fared on COVID-19 pandemic handling:

Leading Victoria through this pandemic, is likely the most difficult role that our current leaders will face during their career.  There is no ‘right’ answer, and no matter what decision is made, someone will be aggressively against the stance…

I am disappointed that the opposition party has chosen to make Covid-19 a partisan issue.  The health and wellbeing of our community should come higher than winning the next election… Let’s get to the end of the pandemic before finger pointing and laying blame.