Sikh Hustings 2019 Rundown

Thank you so much to Sikh Press Association for inviting me to be on the panel of the 2019 Sikh Hustings as a Green Party Activist. It was a privilege to be in the company of such insightful and engaged people – I found a lot of inspiration and motivation in the comments and issues that were raised so I am truly grateful. A special thank you to Shamsher Singh for sharing his energy and knowledge with us all, you certainly gave me a lot to think about and reflect on - a lot of this post is influenced by you. Vijay from UKIP, you showed up, which is more than can be said for the Tories, so kudos to you for that. This is the first of many posts regarding the event, the link to the full video can be found below.

I’ve had a few days to reflect on the hustings and I wanted to share my thoughts and suggested action plan with you all! So here goes…

1. We have a moral obligation, for the greater good, to vote for parties that do not scapegoat, exploit, marginalise or harm vulnerable people - such as UKIP and the Conservatives. Vote tactically to get the Tories out.
   

2. The changes that we need cannot happen within the confines and parameters of a political party - the need for grassroots movement has always been, and will always be, the key to radical change. The "establishment" benefits from the status quo and disproportionate representation from BME communities. The formation of a well-organised, uncensored pressure group which brings issues that are very specific to Sikhs (e.g. Khalistan, Dastaar rights, grooming, erasure of history, racism) to the forefront of the community's consciousness is essential. This will help us to organise on a grassroots level and to ensure that our concerns are given accurate representation.
   

3. Proportional representation is one way that we can ensure that we no longer rely on political parties to represent our causes in Parliament. BMEs deserve accurate representation, given that the country was built on the exploitation and colonisation of our ancestors. We should support parties, groups and initiatives (like the Green Party) that are campaigning for electoral reform. Until then, we should consider the strategy of sending independent candidates to Parliament.
   

4. On the whole, the contempt shown to the Sikh population by the Indian Government (historically and to this day) means that it's demeaning to be *forced* to identify as ethnically "Indian". The fight for self-determination continues.
   

5. I would personally like to understand the mindset of Tory “Sikhs” - no Tory has been brave enough to explain why their political values are congruent with Sikh values. Which indicates that their motives are selfish and that they don’t embody the essence of Sikhi. I will continue to promote the notion that they are brandishing their apparent Sikh faith to gain votes (which is manipulative, insidious and morally wrong) until someone tells me otherwise.
   

6. Right-wing BMEs are victim of a colonised mindset.
   

7. None of the above matter in the face of climate change. We, as a species, are going extinct so radical action is needed to protect our environment at all costs. Community engagement is key. The formation of an environmental discussion group is the first step towards bringing this issue to the attention of the Sikh community. We must ensure that we have a presence and a voice in wider environmental activism initiatives, which are largely white spaces, due to lack of engagement in BME groups. Climate change will impact us all, but in different ways. This proposed group should be free from political affiliation, to encourage as much participation as possible.

Link to the Hustings can be found here: https://www.sikhpa.com/sikh-hustings-2019-summary/?fbclid=IwAR10gMpayerE8xm2hZUAL_s6kay2-zWTg-NiD4meWS64rwpBvS3Ri6RcXnE

Thank you so much for reading.

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Thank you thank you thank you.