By 5th September, the UK will hopefully find its new Prime Minister. Whether the successful candidate will be Asian or Non-Asian, man or woman, the general public’s experience and media’s criticism of Boris Johnson’s approach towards women and women-related issues will always be criticised more than critiqued.
It is imperative to note that women like Lizz Truss and Suella Braverman are running for the position of Britain’s next prime minister. Home Secretary Priti Patel hasn’t filed her nomination yet.
Asian Voice asked women in the British Asian community to tell us what qualities they want in their new prime minister. Here’s what some of them said.
Business Coach Shilpa Panchmatia told the newsweekly, “With Boris Johnson's resignation from the role of Prime Minister comes the need for a new individual in power. With this open position comes new opportunities: empowerment, freedom, and equal rights opportunities. Women in Britain today are still facing the issues of domestic violence, budget cuts, maternity rights, harassment, and rape. Looking back on the roles of previous Prime Ministers, specifically Theresa May who was the second female Prime Minister of Britain, we see a woman in power who upheld strong and radical beliefs about equal rights, opportunities, and protection for women; however, she failed to execute and deliver tangible solutions to the gender inequality seen among the country. The next UK Prime Minister needs to be a natural finisher, turning goals and future political strides into action. As a multicultural society, Britain does not need to focus on the race of the next Prime Minister to be the main concern, but instead, the concern should be placed on the quality of accomplishment, turning beliefs and dreams into a reality.”
Careers adviser & podcast host Soma Ghosh said, “The skills and qualities I feel the Next PM would need to have to help resolve work-related issues. The PM should have Kindness, Empathy and must listen to what women really want e.g. flexible work and more equality with the gender pay gap etc. while having a willingness to understand diversity and inclusion without it being a buzzword.
“I am not sure the UK will elect an Asian PM we may have a good chance there are 14 candidates for PM with a diverse range in terms of background, race etc. 7 of these candidates are people of colour and this shows some progress. So far both Sajid Javad and Rishi Sunak have been criticised even though they showed some integrity by quitting recently. Others like Priti Patel and Nadhim Zahawi have also caused controversy. I do think it’s also about trust right now the public feels deflated by some of the issues that still haven’t been resolved like healthcare and energy bills etc.”
If you are a British Asian woman who’d like to express her opinion on how a new Prime Minister should tackle women-related issues and address their concerns, please write to [email protected] by Monday 9 am BST. We’d be happy to hear from you and publish your take in about 100-150 words along with your photograph.
