Would-be councillors from Labour party, in this year's local elections on Thursday 3 May, are changing their 'not so great past' to serve UK's citizens. According to a story in The Sunday Telegraph, it includes names like Balbir Sandhu, who was imprisoned in the 80s over drugs offence and Ali Salamat, who was fined after a court heard that he failed to notify his council of earnings he received as a taxi driver. It also includes Mathew Uberoi, who was jailed for passing insider tips from a City bank and Munir Malik who stood down from the board of the Co-operative group after being accused of lying about his qualifications.
The disclosures are of course questioning their credibility as political candidates, but 34 year old Mr Uberoi, who is representing Hammersmith and Fulham addressed such concerns in a blog admitting to his conviction, stating that his three months had a “profound and lasting effect,” which promted him to turn his life around. He added, “You can turn your life around even when you have lost everything. If elected I will be using my experiences to help reduce reoffending.”
Mr Sandhu, who is standing in Derby, spent two years in prison aged 25, after being found in possession of heroin. He said, “I got mixed with the wrong crowd one summer and it was the biggest mistake of my life.”
Mr Salamat who is a candidate in Oldham, was fined in 2007, after a court heard that he failed to notify the council on which he was a representative. At that time he was a Lib Dem Councillor and he moved to Labour thereafter. He told The Sunday Telegraph, that the allegations against her were “politically motivated” and he was a victim of “institutional racism.” Ultimately he was only convicted over a total of £15 he said.
However critics have attacked them raising questions about their suitability of a job in public offices as they were a part of series of Labour candidates who have past convictions, or been previously suspended from holding offices in the party over their behaviour. But others are of the opinion that everybody deserves a second chance. If these candidates don't reoffend or misuse their power, Labour is then doing a 'noble' job in giving them a chance to turn into a new leaf.
From London alone there are more than 700 Asian origin candidates participating in this year's local elections.
