Sunaks Wealth And Rightwing Politics Mean He Is Far From Representative, British Asians Say
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Orange and pink fireworks lit up the skies over south London on Monday as members of the local South Asian community celebrated Diwali.
Joining this year's celebrations is Rishi Sunak, 42, who became British Prime Minister of Indian descent when Indians like him were celebrating the Festival of Lights.
Sunak's rise to power caused division among South Asians in the United Kingdom. Some see his historic appointment as a source of pride and a sign of Britain's social progress, while others point to his great wealth, private educational background and involvement in far-right politics.
Evidence of these shared views was evident when CNN spoke to South Asians in the London borough of Tooting, a bustling migrant community in the British capital.
Charming fabric shops, places of worship and food vendors selling Indian dessert syrups and fresh fruit and vegetables line the streets, with family-run shops around almost every corner.
According to the 2011 UK Census, London is teeming with residents from all backgrounds, with people of color making up more than half of the population.
The same data showed that about 30% of Tooting residents self-identified as "Asian" or "Asian English", with English being the most commonly spoken language, followed by English, Urdu and Gujarati.
Raj Singh, a Punjabi Sikh member of the local Sikh temple, Khalsa Center, told CNN, "I think it's good to be ordained on Diwali and it's especially auspicious."
"It's a sign of progress, but only at the top. Rishi Sunak comes from a very privileged background," said the 58-year-old lawyer, hiding his glasses behind a bright orange turban.
Singh said Sunak's rise was simply a sign that South Asian politicians with vast social and economic privileges could "break the glass ceiling".
Earlier this year, Sunak and his wife Akshata Murthy, the daughter of an Indian billionaire, were included in the Sunday Times Rich List, among the 250 richest people in the UK. The newspaper valued it at £730m ($826m).
"I never thought this day would come"
Suna received congratulations from other South Asian politicians, including former Conservative Cabinet Minister Sajid Javid and London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who is a member of the opposition Labor Party. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also sent "special wishes for Diwali" to Sunak, calling it a "bridge" between the two countries.
Outside the southern England capital of Southampton, Sanjay Chandarana, who runs a Hindu temple founded by Sunak's grandparents in 1971, told CNN Sunak's rise to power was "Barack Obama's moment" for Britain. the president
"I think it's important for the South Asian community... He's the British Prime Minister from South Asia. I think all South Asians should be proud," said Irtaza Nasir, a 24-year-old restaurant manager from Tooting. "I never thought this day would come."
Anil Shah, a 75-year-old Hindu merchant from Gujarati, said Sunak's leadership "proves that we Indians are smart enough to do our jobs".
But Nilufar Ahmed, a psychologist at the University of Bristol in the west of England, said Sunak's leadership was "detailed and complex" and warned of the limitations of racial representation at the highest levels of British politics.
“I think there was something very cute about their Diwali date. I think it was very meaningful for a lot of people in South Asia," he said.
"But I also think it's too easy to see Rishi Sunak as a symbol of the South Asian community in the UK. He is a man of many privileges, and as such he is not as widely represented as some considerations of representation would suggest.
Ahmed said he was disgusted by comparisons between Sunak and Deputy Prime Minister Obama, citing the lack of a mandate for the common people in Britain.
Suna succeeded Liz Truss as Prime Minister after her only rival, Penny Mordaunt, dropped out of the Conservative Party leadership race. He is Britain's third prime minister in seven weeks and his tenure as prime minister has sparked calls for a general election from across the political spectrum.
“Rishi Suna was not even elected by his party or by the British people. Therefore, there will be opposition to the appointment of Sunak among the citizens. He cannot represent Conservative Party members or voters,” Ahmed said.
He added that his tenure as Prime Minister "could be quite worrying", referring to a viral video in which a Conservative Party member made racist comments about Sunak, telling LBC radio that he "didn't like England" and that he "not even British". ".". in most people's opinion."
Born in the seaside town of Southampton, Sunak is a British citizen.
For Lubina Yar, a 56-year-old businesswoman from Tooting, Sunak's appointment was "a no-brainer".
“Conservatives are conservatives. I don't think skin color matters," said a 56-year-old woman sitting in a plush pink armchair in a Pakistani clothing store.
Yar said that Suna falls short of Conservative Party values, but added that he made the same sacrifices as his parents did when they immigrated to Britain from East Africa in the 1960s.
He recalled that around the same time his parents arrived in Britain from Pakistan, his father was denied ownership of the house by racist neighbors who said they didn't want a colorful person on the street.
“I grew up these days. And you know, I remember what my life was like and what my parents had to sacrifice to get a good education and our degrees and to do what we wanted. Our parents didn't come from that privileged family, but they did it for us."
"I don't think running progress is important"
Sunak faces many challenges as Britain's new leader, including the challenge of leading the country out of a severe cost-of-living crisis and calming financial markets after Truss' brief and chaotic presidency.
However, Suna is also partly to blame for the economic turmoil that has gripped Britain.
As former British Chancellor of the Exchequer under Boris Johnson, he introduced £400 billion (US$452 billion) of economic stimulus measures, including a generous unemployment scheme, business loans and restaurant discounts. But that stimulus was quite costly, and the government struggled to find ways to save money.
He vowed to bring "stability and unity" to the Tories and appealed to the party's numerous factions, which have deepened divisions since the 2016 Brexit vote.
He has always opposed tightening immigration and asylum rules, as well as measures to combat climate change and promote equality and human rights. Like his predecessor, Suna pledged to fight illegal immigration and expand the Rwandan government's controversial immigration policy.
Further north, in Glasgow, Scotland, Faria Sharif said she didn't see Sunak's leadership as a sign of equality.
"The appointment of Rishi Sunak makes me vulnerable and devastated by the chaos in which conservatives continue to mismanage our country, especially with another prime minister not elected by ordinary people," said the 30-year-old Pakistani Muslim leader. Email the address.
“I don't see racing as progress. I see it as an attempt by conservatives to impose their agenda on more affluent immigrant communities...it fosters an environment in which black people are only accepted if they abide by the same strict rules as immigration and the economy. .
“Very mixed reviews”
Sunak's leadership was controversial among many British Asians at the intersection of race, class and politics.
The new Prime Minister has arrived as one of Downing Street's wealthiest residents, but his job is to lead a country where marginalized communities have been pushed further into poverty in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
During his tenure as Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sunu was criticized for offering a small 1% pay rise for UK NHS staff despite the agency's collapse due to budget cuts and staff shortages.
Reena Patel, a Gujarati Hindu doctor who works at St Helier's Hospital in south London, said she had "really mixed feelings" about Deputy Prime Minister Sunak.
“In terms of representing people, I don't think they can represent the poorest in our society. .
"In terms of intelligence and financial experience, I think he'll do better than his predecessors, but that's not a compliment," Patel said. "I don't think that represents me."
“What I see in Rishi Sunak is, first and foremost, an incredibly privileged person with tremendous wealth and access to education and resources that most South Asians in the UK don't have. So I have a lot more in common with white working-class politicians than with Rishi Sunak,” Ahmed said.
Sunak may be Britain's Indian Prime Minister, but his race alone prevents him from representing the diverse and nuanced views of the 4.2 million South Asians who live in the UK today.
Jasveer Singh, attorney and co-founder of South Asian Heritage Month, wrote in an email: "Having a black person as prime minister is something to be proud of, but it is also possible to 'vouch for a policy or person contradict'.
"Politics isn't just about color and race."
Reporting by CNN's Ivana Kottasova, Luke McGee and Sugam Pokharel.
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