A prominent southeast Melbourne lake has been renamed after a religious leader from India.
The government of Victoria was criticized after it was revealed that the Berwick Springs Lake was to be renamed in honor of a Sikh religious leader known as Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
The decision has caused a backlash from the community, with a petition opposing the name change gaining over 2,000 signatures.
Many of the signatories criticized the lack of consultation and the religious figure’s relevance to the community.
The lake has been a prominent feature of the area, and its name has significant meaning to the residents.
The petition’s author questioned the government’s decision, asking several questions about the religious figure, such as how relevant he is to the community and why the founder of Sikhism was chosen.
The number of Sikhs in Australia has been growing steadily over the years. In 2021, there were over 91,000 individuals in the state who identified as members of this religious group. However, in Casey, only a small number of them make up the city’s population.
On Saturday, Minister for Multicultural Affairs Ingrid Stitt and Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny unveiled the new name of the lake during a ceremony. It was attended by members of the local Labor party and the community. Stitt stated that she was proud to recognize the contributions of the Sikhs in the state by naming the lake after the religious leader known as Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
According to Ms Kilkenny, the decision to change the name of the lake was part of Labor’s commitment to celebrating and reflecting on the state’s rich history and diversity. In a Facebook post, the minister noted that the government was seeking suggestions on 6,000 new names for the state over the next few years.
According to the website of Engage Victoria, the new names will be applied to various types of facilities and streets.
The site claims that the government wants to make sure that the new names honor those who made a significant contribution to the development of communities.
In her post, Ms Kilkenny encouraged the public to nominate individuals who made an outstanding contribution to communities. She also noted that the government would be considering the suggestions of multicultural and women’s groups. However, the community’s reaction to the minister’s Facebook post has raised questions about the religious leader’s relevance.
One of the commenters who criticized the minister’s Facebook post stated that the religious leader was not a local. However, the minister noted that he was still a significant part of the community’s lives. The author of the petition opposing the government’s decision stated that the religious group did an amazing job in the community.
The religious leader also stated that he was disappointed by how the government had stolen the identity of the community. He said that he was not angry with the other communities.