Opinion: The First South Asian PM - a Loss for POC?
“‘Rishi Sunak is proof to all little South Asian kids that if your parents send you to £46k pa Winchester College you become a banker and profit millions from financial crash that led to 300k dying from austerity and throw other POC under the bus you too can be PM. Inspirational.’”
By Reea Soz, 2nd Year History
The above tweet sums up perfectly the extent to which Sunak’s recent triumph in becoming Prime Minister can be considered a victory for South Asians, and POC in general. The sarcastic ‘inspirational’ at the end is a nice touch. It really does emphasise the disparity between Sunak and the average South Asian, for which his privilege is entirely unimaginable, let alone tangible in any way.
If we move our attention back a couple of months (admittedly equivalent to a couple of decades in UK-government-years), to his ‘Ready for Rishi’ campaign video, we can see Sunak pouncing on the very real immigrant struggle that people of colour have continuously faced in this country. With the sombre music playing in the background, the black-and-white vintage photographs, and the swift recital of his grandmother’s life after moving to Britain, Sunak is quick to praise how this country has given so many “the chance of a better future”. It is quite ironic that he clutches so tightly on the idea of Britain as a site of opportunity when his morality hangs so loosely when concerning asylum-seeking refugees.
After officially taking the role of Prime Minister, Sunak has done little to reassure POC – such as myself – that his victory is our victory. Instead, he has chosen to support the likes of Suella Braverman, a Home Secretary who has described the incoming refugees as an ‘invasion’. Her consistent dehumanisation of these men, women and children that have escaped intense conflict and persecution is revolting. And worse is Sunak’s defence, which merely states that the UK will “always be a compassionate, welcoming country”; here lies yet another one of his empty promises of helping those that truly need it. Sunak is only willing to give second chances to those that can sustain his Prime Ministership, not those who are truly struggling, and his rehiring of Suella Braverman is exemplary of this. This is a Home Secretary that held 4,000 people in an asylum centre that had a capacity of only 1,600, over the legal 24hrs needed for initial checks. One family was found, by the chief inspector of immigration, to have been there for 32 days and it was concluded that many had been sleeping on the floor due to a lack of beds. Suella Braverman clearly does not see or care that these people are human beings, and Sunak’s support for her suggests the same.
The first South Asian Prime Minister only serves to please the Conservative party, even if this is at the expense of disadvantaged and working-class people of colour. These are people who are consistently demonised, dehumanised and to whose suffering he is desensitised. Having a Prime Minister of colour, especially in the circumstances surrounding Sunak’s succession, is not something to be proud of or celebrate. Sunak lost to Liz Truss, who lost to the Daily Star lettuce.
As a person of colour, I can safely say that this is not a win for us, nor the country. That would only be possible if Sunak makes a genuine effort to tackle the struggles faced by POC, as a consequence of systematic and institutional racism. Sunak’s position as Prime Minister can, nevertheless, be considered a visible beginning. Or at least a visible shift away from the ‘p*** bashings’ and skinheads this country once gladly accommodated and supported.
However, yet, the greatest outcome of Sunak becoming Prime Minister, which has genuinely helped unite South Asians, has undoubtedly been the meme explosion on Twitter. Below are some of my personal favourites:
