Sunak soars

Rishi Sunak was announced as the leader of the Conservative Party of Great Britain during the Diwali celebrations. It may seem inconceivable that a 42-year-old man of Indian origin could become the UK’s top political leader after 75 years of India’s independence from British rule. Sunak’s rise to power shows the UK’s acceptance of its multicultural and diverse society and growing recognition of the contribution of its minorities. A parallel can be drawn here between Sunak’s rise to power in the UK and Barack Obama’s rise to power in the US, despite both belonging to minority communities in their respective countries.

The rise of Sunak also shows the dynamism of democratic societies. Not even in the wildest dreams can one imagine that one day a member of a minority community will become the head of Saudi Arabia or Pakistan, or any society which is based on exclusivist ideologies and practices. Ironically, on a radio programme, a member of the UK Conservative Party referred to these two countries to justify his argument as to why Sunak should not be the preferred candidate for prime minister as he does not represent the country’s majority white population. This member represented exclusivist thinking, which is not accepted by the majority leaders of his party, who decided to support Sunak.

Democratic societies are much more resilient and willing to accept change and accommodate the demands of their diverse members. At one point in time, democracies like the US and the UK were discriminatory, pushing minorities to the margins. A study of US history provides ample examples in this context. A study of the struggles for voting rights and justice over the past two hundred years suggests that it has evolved well in keeping with changing realities and demands. Democratic societies are more egalitarian as they continue to value their democratic ethics and practices. True, these societies are not perfect, in fact no society is perfect, but it should be comforted that these societies evolved towards a more inclusive future because of democracy.

India was under British rule for about 200 years. Known as the jewel in the crown of the British empire, the Indian colony enriched the United Kingdom while impoverishing it. There are abundant studies showing how British taxation and agrarian policies caused famine and killed hundreds of thousands of Indians. There are studies showing how trillions of dollars were cheated out of India due to colonialism. Colonialism actually did far more damage culturally and psychologically than economically. Policymakers such as TB Macaulay and writers such as William Archer promoted the binary of inferior and superior cultures, with Indian culture being pronounced inferior. Macaulay observed: “I have never found one among them who could deny that a single shelf of a good European library was worth all the native literature of India and Arabia. The intrinsic superiority of Western literature is indeed fully recognized by those members of the committee who support the Oriental plan of education.” Novelists such as Rudyard Kipling justified colonialism by arguing that it was ‘the white man’s burden’ to civilize the east. Edward Said in his book Orientalism made a deep analysis of this cultural ego, which provided the rationale for colonial exploitation and violence.

But as I argued earlier, societies evolve and democratic societies evolve in better directions. Sunak can become Prime Minister of Great Britain because British society has evolved over the last few decades. Winston Churchill, a staunch opponent of India’s independence, must turn in his grave at Sunak’s birth. One can come across leaders of Indian origin in small countries like Mauritius, Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname, but for the first time there is a leader of Indian origin in one of the world’s major powers. Sunak never shies away from acknowledging his origins, even taking an oath as a member of the British Parliament by laying his hand on the Bhagavad Gita. On one occasion he said: “I am thoroughly British, this is my home and my country, but my religious and cultural heritage is Indian and my wife is Indian. I am open to being a Hindu.” This statement by Sunak represented a vision of belonging and reconciliation, in which his diverse background and Indian origins placed him in a better position to appreciate the multicultural and pluralistic ethos of British society and put it into practice.

Sunak becomes Prime Minister at perhaps not the best of times in UK politics. The British economy is in shambles, the world is witnessing the war in Ukraine, the world economy is not at its best – Sunak actually has more challenges than opportunities. But it is rightly said that challenges test the true mettle of a leader. Sunak’s tenure as Chancellor of the Exchequer and his handling of the Covid crisis are indicative that he is likely to navigate the country smoothly through the current turbulence.

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