With the 2024 UK General Election set to take place on July 4, more British Tamils than ever before have been named as candidates with a range of Britain’s political parties. The Tamil Guardian interviewed the candidates who are hoping to become one of the UK’s first-ever British Tamil parliamentarians.
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Naranee Ruthra-Rajan, The Green Party
Candidate for Hammersmith and Chiswick
Q: Tell us a bit about yourself, your journey into politics and the Green Party?
My name’s Naranee Ruthra-Rajan and I’m standing as the Green Party candidate for Hammersmith and Chiswick. I'm a long-standing resident of Hammersmith, since 2006, and I grew up as part of the Tamil community in New Malden. I've worked as a teacher and in the charity sector, and I act as a carer for my elderly parents. All of this has informed my politics and is why I'm in the Green Party.
I can't say I'm a natural politician but I do really care about how people are treated and what kind of world we're creating for young people and future generations. It felt important to have someone standing for Green values in this constituency. We are badly in need of real change and real hope, and only we are offering the significant investment and policies it will take. Positive change can only come when people feel heard and empowered. It's an essential part of how we work, and how we develop our ideas and solutions.
I joined the Green Party in 2009 after being horrified by leading Conservative politicians trying to outdo each other at their party conference with how cruel and tough they could be with the different parts of society that they'd decided to scapegoat. Then it was immigrants and single mothers, now it’s immigrants and trans people. The targets might change (some of them) but the tactics don’t, and it always ends up harming those groups and demeaning all of us.
The Green Party offered an alternative and since I joined, I’ve met imaginative, committed, caring people who are tireless in their efforts to find real solutions to the problems we face - solutions including taxing the super-rich, a national housing and insulation programme and climate action so we all have a future.
The emphasis is always on finding solutions that are both compassionate and realistic, and since (unlike the other parties) we're not funded by corporate interests and the very wealthy, you can know that Green Party policies are based on what would work for you, rather than vested interests.
Q; Why do you want to be the next MP for your constituency?
I’d love to be the next MP for Hammersmith and Chiswick as I know we need a fresh approach here to represent the needs of the people who live here, and push for new solutions to long standing problems like Hammersmith Bridge, problems with clean air, and more substantial support for local community projects to ensure people can thrive. The resistance to fix Hammersmith Bridge, for example stems from the two old parties trying to score political points against each other rather than make use of the imaginative and fully costed solution from charity, We Are Possible.
We know that the Tories are toast, and that the next government, which will be Labour, badly need scrutiny. It isn’t healthy for any government to have such a large majority. More Green MPs would be able to push for the investment we need in all of our public services including the NHS and social care, and genuine action on addressing the air pollution levels that exceed World Health Organisation limits across London.
However, we all know, that in this election, the incumbent MP here will win again, and candidates from smaller parties, like myself, will not. Under the current political system of First Past the Post (a system only used in Europe by us and Belarus, effectively a dictatorship), we are stuck with the status quo of a two-party system meaning very little really changes for the better. We badly need a new system of proportional representation to ensure that the seats in parliament represent how people voted. Until now the two old parties have resisted this system, but there is starting to be a sea change as the Labour membership has voted in favour of it. We now need Green MPs to push the Labour leadership to recognise it. It’s even become an issue people raise on the door when political parties come round knocking, as more and more recognise the limits of our democracy in its current form.
Thankfully, there are at least 4 areas of England, where it looks like we might be able to win a Green Party MP to provide that honest, compassionate and constructive scrutiny the next government will need. If you live in Bristol, Brighton, North Herefordshire or Waveney Valley, you could vote Green and actually get Green MPs to continue the legacy of the brilliant Caroline Lucas, alongside our two members of the House of Lords, Natalie Bennett and Jenny Jones.
Q: To date, very few British Tamils have run for office - why do you think that is?
Membership of UK political parties amongst Tamils is not very high, so this may be partly why very few have run for office. It’s hard to be definitive about why but it could be that many didn’t grow up in families that discussed politics a great deal, perhaps feeling wary due to experiences back home, or due to the relentlessness of building a life here, working and raising a family. So awareness of the opportunities to get involved in politics is probably quite low. There is a strong sense of public service that runs through the community though so a bigger issue, and I can only speak for the Green Party here, is that there’s a lot more we could do in terms of genuine community engagement to reach out, listen and communicate how Green Party policies connect with the concerns of Tamils, and how Tamils can get involved.
It’s tough given the media environment here, dominated by a right-wing media that prefers the shock tactics of parties like Reform. As Carla Denyer, co-leader of the Green Party said recently to Byline Times: ““Negative news sells” whereas Greens offer “sensible practical solutions that voters actually want to see,” but with an increasing number of councillors (over 840) the “Greens are becoming harder and harder to ignore.” We have to keep finding ways to break through and in this election, with us standing in 574 seats, almost everyone in England has a Green candidate to vote for, meaning the media have had to give us more opportunities to get our message across. In this campaign and beyond, I and others in the Green Party will work harder to improve our approach to engaging with the Tamil community. I am grateful to Tamil Guardian for running these interviews and giving your readers a chance to hear a Green Party perspective. Hopefully, by 2029, there’ll be many more Green Tamil candidates to interview!
Q: There are lots of issues the Tamils care about, including both domestic and foreign policy.Several UN reports and senior British parliamentarians have called for Sri Lanka to be referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC). What tangible steps would you take to ensure Sri Lanka is taken to the ICC?
It has never been more important to support the rule of law, including the international law that underpins our rights and protects against state aggression, genocide and the inhuman treatment of refugees. Green Party foreign policy is based very firmly on international humanitarian law. Not just self-interest and trade, not military interest, and not a desire to continue the legacy of a colonial past. Unlike successive governments in the UK that failed to take action during the civil war, during its brutal end in 2009 or even during the political crisis in 2022, the Green Party would push for a proper mechanism for collecting and assessing evidence of war crimes in Sri Lanka, refer war criminals to the ICC and impose sanctions against those who are implicated.
Q: Canada's parliament has recognised May 18 as Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day. How would you push for recognition of the Tamil genocide in the UK?
It is important that mass atrocities are commemorated, both in respect for those who died and to try and ensure we as a society continue to learn and understand what led to those atrocities. A group of Green MPs would work to call out the government when turning a blind eye to genocide and work with the UK Tamil community to find ways to commemorate it both regionally and nationally following the example of Canada’s Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day on May 18th.
Q: Sri Lankan war criminals are yet to be sanctioned in the UK but have been in Canada and the United States. What steps would you take to ensure that they are?
The UK has too often put trade and narrow self interest over human rights. To be behind the US, not always known as upholding human rights, is an international embarrassment. Greens would put Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law at the top. In the UK, we would seek to follow the example set by Canada and the US to work with the police forces here and the Director of Public Prosecutions to pursue perpetrators of war crimes committed where UK citizens are the victims or where UK citizens are potential perpetrators. This is what we have called for in relation to the appalling carnage in Gaza, and we would call for the same for those who have been responsible for war crimes in Sri Lanka.
Q: In the long run, tackling the underlying issues on the island are key. Senior British leaders have spoken on Tamil self-determination in the past. How would you go about ensuring that the right to self-determination is exercised?
The Green Party want to see the UK take the lead in upholding the right to self-determination and the enforcement of international law. We believe in self-determination because decisions are best made by local communities who should be supported to explore how best to ensure Tamils can be safe and thrive.
Q: Last month, a US Congress resolution, which has support from both Republicans and Democrats, was introduced calling for a peaceful and democratic solution through an independence referendum. Would you support a similar push for that from the UK?
As above, given we believe strongly in self-determination, we feel it is essential that Tamil people in Sri Lanka are given the right to decide. Countless places in the world have been denied independence referendums (Kashmir, Western Sahara, Somaliland), but Greens would champion the right of Tamils to vote and to decide. We would have to explore the mechanisms needed to make that possible and ensure those seeking to campaign for independence or alternative approaches do so freely without risk of arrest or worse.
Q: Looking domestically - Tamil asylum seekers are still facing deportation, from the UK and territories such as Diego Garcia. How would you ensure that Tamils fleeing persecution are not deported back to danger in Sri Lanka?
For the last 14 years, we’ve seen the compact we have for asylum seekers ripped up by the government, making the system crueller and nonsensical, failing to provide safe legal routes, process claims, house refugees safely, and make family reunification possible to save lives. We would repeal the anti-refugee bills from the last 14 years and have humanitarian visas, working together with European nations to save lives – something that was rightly made possible for refugees from Ukraine and should be made possible with all refugees from conflicts around the world. The UK has not always been a force for good in this area, as we saw when David Cameron was the first in Europe to say no to Syrians fleeing the conflict there, so we need a fresh approach that supports Tamil asylum seekers fleeing persecution. We should be proud to be a country that is kind and fair and just, respectful of humanitarian law.
Q: Thousands of British Tamils work in the NHS. In your opinion, what are the causes behind so many of the issues it faces and how will a Green government fix them?
The NHS has been devastated by the austerity imposed by the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, the deliberate undermining of the infrastructure to pave the way for privatisation, and the poor treatment of frontline staff. The Green Party would reverse this damage by backing the NHS Reinstatement Bill to abolish wasteful competition and restrict the role of commercial companies. And unlike the other parties, we have a fully costed plan to fund both the NHS and social care properly. The Nuffield Trust have criticised the three oldest parties’ manifestos for a funding shortfall of roughly £20 - 23bn saying they represent an “unprecedented slowdown in NHS finances and it is inconceivable that it would accompany the dramatic recovery all are promising….they would struggle to pay the existing staff, let along the additional staff set out in the workforce plan.”
In contrast, our “economically credible” (Arun Advani, University of Warwick) plans to tax the superrich means that the Green Party have a fully costed plan to push for a steady reduction in waiting lists by giving clear long-term funding commitments to Hospital Trusts so they can plan with more confidence, treat staff fairly with a one-off budget to cover a fair wage settlement and pay restoration for junior doctors, and put £20bn capital spend into hospital buildings and repair. We would also increase investment in primary care so we can see a GP when we need to, implement a National Cancer Plan including investment in enhanced screening and public health, and put mental health on an equal footing with physical health with access to treatment within 28 days. Finally, we would put an end to ‘dental deserts’ by pushing for a new contract with NHS dentists, increasing the number of available appointments and investing in a roll-out of free dental nursing for children and those on low income.
Q: The economy has been faltering with soaring inflation and a cost of living crisis. How would a Green-led government fix it?
This general election is taking place during an ongoing cost of living and inequality crisis. In the Green Party, we know that the solutions to this are the same as those needed to end the climate crisis, making the future not just more liveable but fairer for us all too. Throughout our manifesto, you’ll find examples of how climate action means better public services, warmer homes, stronger communities and a restored natural world.
We’d put in place a welfare system that acts properly as a safety net, including an immediate uplift to universal credit and legacy benefits by £40, abolishing the cruel 2-child benefit cap to lift 250,000 children out of poverty, and increasing disability benefit by 5% so no-one has to choose between eating, paying bills and charging essential equipment like wheelchairs. We would also ensure that pensions are always uprated in line with inflation and keep pace with wage rises across the economy, and increase carers allowance by at least 10% a month. In the longer term, we would push for a universal basic income so that everyone has the security to start a business, study, train or just live in dignity.
A Green economy would provide well paid jobs nationally, in renewable energy, home insulation and restored public services. Finally, we would increase the minimum wage to £15 for everyone, no matter your age, and offset the cost of this to small businesses by increasing the Employment Allowance to £10,000.
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Q: What would be your message to young British Tamils looking to get involved in politics?
Do it! In the Green Party, we believe there’s no environmental justice without social, racial and economic justice too. Whether you are passionate about clean air, human rights, ending systemic racism, or stopping climate change, it’s all linked. We are the only party that understands this and has the plan and policies to tackle these issues and create a fair and sustainable society. Climate inaction bears particular consequences for those in Sri Lanka, particularly those living in low-lying coastal areas. In the Green Party, you could help develop and campaign for policies that address the issues they face.
There’s so many ways to get involved in politics and it helps you develop so many different skills and pursue campaigns that are in line with Green Party policy. Being a candidate is just one of many roles, along with researching particular issues, organising election support, graphic design, social media, press and fundraising. Young Greens are a very active, sociable and welcoming group, with many local groups set up and training offered. And if there isn’t one in your local area, they will help you get one set up. As well as being a great way to build up your skills in a way that universities and employers appreciate, you’ll meet like-minded people and be helping to make our planet safer for future generations.
Q: And a final message to British Tamils who will be heading to the ballot boxes on July 4th?
The Tories are toast. It is looking very likely the next government will be formed by Labour - but rather than be ambitious they will skirt around what needs to be done to get the country back on track. We need more than a few tweaks to undo the damage of the last government. Voting Green sends a message for the serious change that we need. You can lead the way at this election - use your vote for the Greens to give us real hope of a fairer future with credible practical solutions to the real issues facing people every day.
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Naranee, leafleting with Zack Polanski, Deputy Leader of the Green Party