I WANT TO BE THE MAYOR FOR ALL 
-SHAFI CHOUDARY

The conservative mayoral candidate for newham Mr Shafi Choudhury visited our offices and granted Mrs Millicent Kwapong the managing of African Echo an interview.

Millicent Kwapong: Welcome to African echo offices. As the name denotes we are newspaper based in Newham concentrating on issues affecting Africans and people of African descent.
Can you let our readers know who you are and your role in your party’s activities.

Shafi Choudhury: It’s an honour and privilege to be here in the offices of African echo. I have heard a lot about the good work your paper is doing for the community. I visited your website and said to myself your concept and reason for this newspaper is a superb idea. I have been an activist for various issues in the community for a very long time. I have actually been involved with the conservative party since 1993. I was the chairman of west ham conservatives for three years, I used to be the campaign leader of the former leader of our party, Ian Duncan Smith. I have also been the GLA candidate, the assembly candidate for the city and east area. This area comprised of Newham, Tower hamlet, barking and Dagenham, then city of London. And during my campaign I learnt a lot about people and the communities we live in. I learnt a lot about the Afro Caribbean community. I realised for instance the Afro Caribbean community is left behind in Newham. And as one of the most diverse communities in Europe, infact, about 50% of the population in Newham are from ethnic minority backgrounds. As I have said we should make sure that no community, child, woman or Man is left behind. We should progress together.

Now I am contesting the mayoral candidacy for Newham on the ticket of the conservative party. My vision is nothing less than to be the mayor of Newham who will work with the community, for the community and by the community. It is no use just imposing things from above. I am looking at working with the grassroots and African communities like many of the ethnic minority communities are disadvantaged in the community. A mayor who is able to know and understand issues within the community will be able to take the community forward. My belief is, we either progress together or we will be left behind.

MK: The home minister Charles Clarke on Wednesday 11 January praised the Newham borough as one of the most successful boroughs that has been successful in dealing with Anti Social behaviour situations. What is your comment on this? SC: Well you know, any initiative by the government is welcome. However I would have thought, well the government has been in power for more than seven years and it looks a little opportunistic that the Home secretary will choose to come to Newham just when the elections are due in three months.

But I welcome his visit. But I believe we should go to the roots of the problem. It is not enough just making laws. You need to have the carrot and stick approach. If you just have the stick approach it would not work. For example in Newham over crowding is a problem. Many children, some of then from Afro Caribbean backgrounds live in these crowded places. When the come back from school because of the situation at home, they are unable to do their homework, so they start hanging out in the streets. And once you start hanging out in the streets, that is the beginning of the problem. The initiative however is welcome.

I am a pragmatic politician. If this initiative works I will welcome it.

I also think if we for instance got the 60 million we are entitled to as a London borough we can engage all the services involved properly to tackle these problems.

If we have this money we could for example have 11 more teachers in every Newham school. We need more resources for the youth. We must keep them occupied with creative activities.

MK: Has the present Mayor’s administration done anything you would want to commend them on?

SC: A few things have gone on right. I believe that every administrative does it’s best. 
As far as winning the 2012 Olympic bid is concerned they have done well. Newham council did put in a lot of work. I really thank everyone including the mayor for putting in the effort. This Olympic will change Newham if we get it right. For instance in Stratford the Olympics will create about 34,000 new jobs. There will be about 7,000 jobs created in the construction industry. But what worries me is that out of the about 300 jobs that have been created so far in construction industry, only about 11 are local people. We must make sure as a borough that the Olympics benefit local people. We need to get it right. Montreal in Canada got it wrong in 1976 and they are still paying for it. Because of our diverse backgrounds in Newham we must use this to our benefit and make this a success story.

But a lot of things have gone wrong and we have to correct them before 2012.

MK: Any examples?

SC: Crime prevention for instance is wrongly being dealt with. Our mayor came up with the idea of Newham having it’s own constabulary. It began as a recreational park constabulary, now they have been given powers to be everywhere. They began to arrest people outside the park. There have been 572 arrests outside the parks. Three of these arrests were immigration related issues. This constabulary has no legal authority so ever to arrest anyone. And this mayor is spending about 1.4 million pounds on this constabulary which has no legal basis. I would rather spend this amount on getting 30 real police with real power to prevent crime in this borough. When criminals see real policemen they get scarred. Stratford is the third most crime ridden area in London so far as robberies are concerned. The first is Soho, the second is the west end and Stratford follows. We have to ensure the safety of our people. 

With education we must improve the facilities and support the teaching staff so the pupils can study and move up the ladder. At present if you look at GSCE results we only 30% of our pupils passed their examinations. It is not good enough. In social services the council spends about 100 million a year. It was so bad our Social Services was put in a special measure for three consecutive years. Thanks to the efforts of the workers we are improving now. Our neighbouring borough, Tower hamlets has become a beacon of social services. If they could do it why can’t we also do it. But we need a leadership that believes in the ability of people. We need to get the best people from every community to solve the problems of Newham. Newham must learn to use the expertise of people from our rich multicultural backgrounds. I do not think for example that the council advertises with many ethnic minority newspapers. Yet there is a huge budget for reaching out to the various communities in the borough. If the council advertises with these newspapers it indirectly supports the development of the talents and expertise of these people. If I become mayor on the 5th of May. I will see to it that this changes. I will for example seek to have audit on the 11,000 personnel the council employs to make sure we have the best people serving our people. We need to involve all communities so we can attract the best to work for us.

MK: What will you do specifically to help the African Caribbean community in Newham?

SC: There are lot of good things happening in this community that needs the support of the council. Many children of African descent are getting expelled from school and they end up in the streets. I will want to put in place measures to avoid such behaviour that will lead to their expulsion, but I will also like to have more superb projects like East Side Young leaders Academy run by Mr.Ray Lewis. His academy gives a lot of hope to many children of Afro Caribbean community and it is in Newham. Yet I am not even sure if the School receives any support from the council. We need as a council to assist such good initiatives such as this school, such as African Echo, such as community radio stations. We must learn and use the good values of each community to build this borough into a better one.

MK: The conservative party seems to be changing it’s position and outlook on a lot of things what is driving your party to for instance want to have an interview with an African focused paper.

SC: Ha. Ha(laughs) There was a perception that the conservative party had lost touch with ethnic minorities. But look at me. If you look at me you would know the conservative party is beginning to learn and listen a lot and that is very important. My administration as mayor will be exactly like that. I will listen and learn from the community. What I have seen many politicians do is to go on a consultation drive to talk to a few influential people who might just think like them to serve as a support base to implement their policies. I can promise the readers of African Echo that I will be a different mayor. I will listen to the ordinary man’s views. The conservative party today led by my good friend David Cameron is a listening party.

MK: What will be your final message to our readers?

SC: I want to tell your numerous readers to just trust that if you elect me on May 4th, I will be an all involving Mayor. Newham is one of the only 11 boroughs that directly elects it’s mayor. And because of that I will have the executive powers to make decisions on your behalf. If you elect me I want to work with you. I want to work for you and I want to work by you. That is my simple message. I want to start working from May 5th to ensure that every community in Newham benefits. I will make sure all children of all communities benefit from the best education, health, social services etc So that we create a better community.

I also want to say thank for having me here and would want to encourage you in your service to the African community.

MK: Thanks for coming.