The political landscape of the United Kingdom has undergone an important change. Technically, it still remains the same sovereign country comprising of England, Scotland, Wales and the province of Northern Ireland, but the power dynamics within the union has been altered. Up till 17th September, a day before Scotland's vote on its independence, the opinions polls looked quite balanced- 55% to 45% against independence. The Scottish referendum gave birth to numerous newly emerged 'political activists' who had previously shown little interest in the democratic process.
The level of engagement of Asian section of the Scottish electorate was high, with community organisations springing up to segregate votes, proving that the opportunity of independence was being fully grasped by Desi Scots. A poll by Asian radio station Awaz FM poll showed 64% of Asians in Scotland would vote Yes, while 32% were against. Small-scale campaigning could also be witnessed in the form of popular blogs like 'Scots Asians for Yes' who claimed to be a'grass root campaign made of members from the Asian sub-continent, from cross parties and no party, with one aim in common, working towards an independent country'.
Asians constitute Scotland's most prominentminority group. Although the population percentage of the ethnic minority group is not more than 4% but a close call on the vote balance before the referendum rendered this community crucial. Over 70% of the total ethnic minority population are Asian- Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Chinese or other South Asian. Going by the minority opinion polls conducted over radio stations or news agencies, the Asian section of the Scottish electorate was most diverse in their call.
33.8% Indian-origin people in the Scotland were born in Scotland. Similarly, 47.4% of Pakistani-origin citizens and 33% of Bangladesh-origin scots were born in Scotland. These statistics need to be analysed in order to understand the diversity in the opinions of Asian section voting pattern, which remains obscured from public scrutiny. Following the outcome on 18th September, the UK government needs to address and understand the concerns of Scottish Asian community in order to retain the trust of not only Scottish Asians but also British Asians, a community they cannot afford to ignore. Was Scottish independence the first nationalist movement that ethnic minorities didn't feel threatened by?
Asian Voice, in its last issue, had highlighted the urgent concerns of the Scottish voters and the British Asians who were a part of the Yes campaign, which are crucial for a trusted Westminster governance. One of the main fears that arose was that of instability. Desi Scots who had been a part of unstable counties and partitions in 1947 (India-Pakistan) and in 1971 (Pakistan-Bangladesh) made Scotland their home in hope of a better future for their families, a view endorsed by Tasmina Ahmed Sheikh, a Glasgow-based human rights lawyer, an ex-SNP candidate and a member of the Scots Asians for Yes.
Anum Qaisar, 21, a leading Labour figure, had defecated to the Yes campaign and said, “I worry about the direction UK politics is going; as the granddaughter of immigrants I don’t want anti-immigration and xenophobic policies at the forefront of political debates.” She also said, “I want to see the preservation of a fair and just welfare state, taxes that do not favour the richest but provide a safety net for the most vulnerable, and a Scotland where we spend money on our children’s future not on illegal wars or nuclear bombs.”
Another complex challenge is dealing with racial and religious discrimination. Some of the Asians living in Scotland empathised with the Scottish narrative as they view Scotland itself as a victim of persecution by Britain. The defeat of the Yes campaign is not the end of the story. UK government must now show in the aftermath of the vote that it is being fair, and acting without discrimination to the citizens of all its national groups.
Although Britain has long experience in dealing with separatist and independence movements dating from its colonial era, it needs to embrace the plight of the Asian community on issues of immigration, devolution and dignity. If it fails, Scotland might hold another referendum in 20 years, and the minority separatists might assist a win.
