Mukesh Garg feels getting involved in politics is the first step towards falling in love with Australia so you can make it your home
Calling Australia home is not just about watching English movies, going to the footy and having barbeques in your backyard. While all these things are good and even important, we need to do more to adopt Australia as our home mentally or emotionally. This is the message of Family First member Mukesh Garg - the only Indian member of the party in Victoria. According to him, getting involved in politics is critical to this process of emotionally adopting Australia.
“Many people have the wrong impression about politics. I have my own way of looking at it. I may not win on a Family First ticket but we should show that we are taking Australia seriously and by standing for elections we are showing that Australia needs to take South Asians seriously.”
“I know that I can make some kind of difference,” Mukesh says and explains, “When we walk into a doctor’s office and she/he is from a South Asian background, we are not shocked or particularly surprised. Why is this not the case in politics? I was to create a familiarity. I want the public to get used to seeing an Indian name on the ballot.”
Mukesh has many reasons for choosing Family First. “I’ve read what the other parties have to say about various issues and I was attracted to this party because theirs was common sense politics. This is a party that stands for ordinary Australian families and small business,” says Mukesh, admitted that while there are problems with the party and even politics, this is not a reason to stay away completely. Another reason is that he feels Australia needs a third force in politics apart from the Greens.
Politicians in Australia tend to be younger than those in India. While this is a good thing, Mukesh feels that the political scene could benefit from youth getting more involved. “Politics can be a difficult game sometimes and the young tend to stay away.” However, he sees some positive signs. “In the federal elections, there were a few South Asian faces and this is a good thing. The youth can make a difference and this will be critical in helping them assimilate into this society.”
While a lot of migrants bring their culture with them, Mukesh feels that they should try harder to assimilate. “You need to ask yourself: Am I in love with this country more than any other? I feel that a lot more should be done as there is hostility from both sides. It is a difficult process. Some say sports can bridge that gap but I feel that with sports, it can work the other way as well. Political involvement is one of the best ways that one can assimilate into this country and its processes.”
Mukesh feels that one of the major problems of the South Asian community is isolation. “We feel that we are a small community. Increased migration and population can change this but only to a certain extent. Any migrant has to change when he comes into this country,” he says. While finding a job is also a difficult process, Mukesh feels that everyone goes through this problem including the Australians although the reasons may be different.
When he is not wearing his Family First politican’s hat, Mukesh is an academic teaching accounts and finance at Monash University. “During elections its very hectic. After elections we slow down. Since no one can afford to be a full-time politician, we turn our attention to our other commitments. In between elections, we are involved in building relationships with various members of the society.”
There are some serious concerns for recent students and migrants and Mukesh is aware of this. He feels that migrants come here with a dream but realise very quickly that the land they had in mind is not the one they are living in. “Government is not doing enough to help out new migrants. They are the most vulnerable in the society. If the government did half as much for the migrant as they do for an Australian citizen, the problems could be halved and many of the societal problems diffused.”
Mukesh feels that the bad experiences that many students experience when they first get here gets in the way of them loving Australia and becoming assimilated. “With government support, this could really change.”
So what advice does this young politician have for others like him? “First of all, we need to stop thinking with our regional prejudices and think of everyone as equal - whether they are Indian, Punjabi, Bangladeshi or whatever. We are all South Asians here. Secondly, they need to be well-informed. It is very important to know what is going on around you. Finally, your motives have to be clear. You cannot get into politics for your personal gain. Getting into politics should be so you can work better for your country.”
Migrants have to play by a different set of rules in this regard. Taking the example of Sarah Hanson-Young (the youngest MP at 26 in the Federal parliament), Mukesh says that would never come easily to a first generation migrant. “New migrants need to work five or 20 times as hard as someone who was born here. We have to make a lot of sacrifices as well,” Mukesh says. This is good advice for someone looking to make it in politics.
While Mukesh sacrifices a lot of time during elections, he makes sure that he spends quality time with his wife Mridula and daughter Dishita who is now three and a half years old. He says he likes teaching because it keeps him in touch with the young and he likes it that teachers’ role makes a difference in the lives of the people they touch. He spends his free time reading for his PhD and in between his many roles, he does a lot of voluntary work.
“Many people have the wrong impression about politics. I have my own way of looking at it. I may not win on a Family First ticket but we should show that we are taking Australia seriously and by standing for elections we are showing that Australia needs to take South Asians seriously.”
“I know that I can make some kind of difference,” Mukesh says and explains, “When we walk into a doctor’s office and she/he is from a South Asian background, we are not shocked or particularly surprised. Why is this not the case in politics? I was to create a familiarity. I want the public to get used to seeing an Indian name on the ballot.”
Mukesh has many reasons for choosing Family First. “I’ve read what the other parties have to say about various issues and I was attracted to this party because theirs was common sense politics. This is a party that stands for ordinary Australian families and small business,” says Mukesh, admitted that while there are problems with the party and even politics, this is not a reason to stay away completely. Another reason is that he feels Australia needs a third force in politics apart from the Greens.
Politicians in Australia tend to be younger than those in India. While this is a good thing, Mukesh feels that the political scene could benefit from youth getting more involved. “Politics can be a difficult game sometimes and the young tend to stay away.” However, he sees some positive signs. “In the federal elections, there were a few South Asian faces and this is a good thing. The youth can make a difference and this will be critical in helping them assimilate into this society.”
While a lot of migrants bring their culture with them, Mukesh feels that they should try harder to assimilate. “You need to ask yourself: Am I in love with this country more than any other? I feel that a lot more should be done as there is hostility from both sides. It is a difficult process. Some say sports can bridge that gap but I feel that with sports, it can work the other way as well. Political involvement is one of the best ways that one can assimilate into this country and its processes.”
Mukesh feels that one of the major problems of the South Asian community is isolation. “We feel that we are a small community. Increased migration and population can change this but only to a certain extent. Any migrant has to change when he comes into this country,” he says. While finding a job is also a difficult process, Mukesh feels that everyone goes through this problem including the Australians although the reasons may be different.
When he is not wearing his Family First politican’s hat, Mukesh is an academic teaching accounts and finance at Monash University. “During elections its very hectic. After elections we slow down. Since no one can afford to be a full-time politician, we turn our attention to our other commitments. In between elections, we are involved in building relationships with various members of the society.”
There are some serious concerns for recent students and migrants and Mukesh is aware of this. He feels that migrants come here with a dream but realise very quickly that the land they had in mind is not the one they are living in. “Government is not doing enough to help out new migrants. They are the most vulnerable in the society. If the government did half as much for the migrant as they do for an Australian citizen, the problems could be halved and many of the societal problems diffused.”
Mukesh feels that the bad experiences that many students experience when they first get here gets in the way of them loving Australia and becoming assimilated. “With government support, this could really change.”
So what advice does this young politician have for others like him? “First of all, we need to stop thinking with our regional prejudices and think of everyone as equal - whether they are Indian, Punjabi, Bangladeshi or whatever. We are all South Asians here. Secondly, they need to be well-informed. It is very important to know what is going on around you. Finally, your motives have to be clear. You cannot get into politics for your personal gain. Getting into politics should be so you can work better for your country.”
Migrants have to play by a different set of rules in this regard. Taking the example of Sarah Hanson-Young (the youngest MP at 26 in the Federal parliament), Mukesh says that would never come easily to a first generation migrant. “New migrants need to work five or 20 times as hard as someone who was born here. We have to make a lot of sacrifices as well,” Mukesh says. This is good advice for someone looking to make it in politics.
While Mukesh sacrifices a lot of time during elections, he makes sure that he spends quality time with his wife Mridula and daughter Dishita who is now three and a half years old. He says he likes teaching because it keeps him in touch with the young and he likes it that teachers’ role makes a difference in the lives of the people they touch. He spends his free time reading for his PhD and in between his many roles, he does a lot of voluntary work.
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