“I have found out that there is still a gap that needs to be filled. At the local level, there is an immense need to involve the minority community.�

Doris Koyabe reflects on what she has learned from Opening Doors.

Why did I join the shadowing scheme?

There were three simple reasons. First of all, politics affects everything we do from the water we drink to the things we buy. Why should we leave matters relating to our well being in the hands of politicians? I have always been interested in knowing how politicians and policy makers come to a consensus since they affect each one of us on a daily basis. Given that policies and the politics of a country go together, I thought this was the best way to experience exactly how decisions are made.

Secondly, being part of the minority community I felt that we are not well represented in the policymaking arena. I wanted to know what mechanisms have been put in place to involve the minority community in politics but even more so in decision making.

And thirdly, I wanted to know what we as the minority community are doing in order to get ourselves involved and recognized as one voice when it comes to integration and implementing policy.

I was delighted to shadow Councillor Dougie Kerr not only because he is involved with issues relating to equality and discrimination in areas such as employment, gender and race. But also because I got the opportunity to see how politicians connect with local government and how local government connects with people in the community.

Councillor Kerr gave me a tour of the council building, explained what happens at the council and gave me a glimpse of the councillor’s daily routine schedule. As I shadowed him at different meetings, social gatherings and the full council meeting, I gained a better understanding of policy making.

What did I learn?

The image I had of politicians was a misconception. They have very busy lives and responsibilities that never seem to end. They have to go from one meeting to another and wherever they are – whether it is a business meeting or a social gathering – they are confronted with issues regarding decision making. Anyone can approach them and ask about anything and however trivial it maybe a lot of factors have to be considered. Basically it is very demanding and challenging and one has to be on top of things in order to succeed.

It may not seem significant to many people but now I know what newspapers to read in order to know what’s happening in the political scene – to find out what I would call “political gossip�. If I need to adopt the political culture of this country, then I have to know where to get the information. This is not to say that the press is always right but it gives an insight into what each party is doing, positive or negative. At the end of the day it’s up to an individual to decide what information to take from the media because it can be used to build or destroy the party’s image.

Most of all I have found out that there is still a gap that needs to be filled. At the local level, I feel that there is an immense need to involve the minority community. When I went to the full council meeting, my main concern was to see how the minority community would be represented in the meeting. I was surprised to see that they are so under represented.

For the future?

There is need to build up the participation of the minority community especially the blacks in this area. One may argue and say that the government is doing a great deal to integrate the minority communities in the system. But communication seems inadequate. How is information being transmitted to the minority community? Why is it that some minority communities are represented and not others? Who speaks on behalf of the minority communities in policy implementation? I feel there is a great need to examine inclusion of the minority communities in all aspects of policy implementation.

Women empowerment needs to be reinforced as well. Women are working hard in voluntary and community development projects but they also need to be directly involved with the policy makers.

But as much as I felt the minority are isolated, I also felt that we are not all working in unity with all minority communities to be one voice. United we stand and divided we fall.

The Opening Doors visit to the Scottish Parliament was a first for Subash Punn. Here he describes why it made a lasting impression.

Subash Punn on the Scottish Parliament: “Never judge this building by the cover”.

My first and as yet only visit to the Scottish Parliament was full of profound surprises, the three-hour experience as monumental as the building itself.

It is a building full of contradictions almost challenging you to free up your mind and open yourself up to creative debate, the very essence of democracy itself. It is palatial but at the same time intimate. The texture is cold but framed by raw warmth. The erratic ceiling heights, though clearly defined, appear to undulate smoothly.

It is a building that seems to give you a sense of the passage of time, where history appears to be created before your eyes, in the present. I watched solitary figures pass by and as they wisped through what I can only describe as a foyer area I became curious as to where they had come from and where they were going. And as they disappeared one by one through a large door, they had already made an impression on history, and by doing – what? – something as trivial as making their way from one place to another. Had I imagined these people or did they exist? But seriously seeking the answer to this question would be a betrayal to the building’s illusion itself.

I had on many occasions walked or driven past the Scottish Parliament, always dubious about its existence and appearance. After having seen the interior I feel it has helped me gain an affinity with the exterior. Never judge this building by the cover.

The parliament also gives you an insight into the architect, Enric Miralles, who sadly died in the year 2000. His presence, I feel, is still felt in the building itself, almost making you question as to whether his presence would have been so profoundly felt had he still been alive.

Pictured in the Garden Lobby, from the left: Subash Punn, Fay Young, Asha Pall, Malcolm Chisholm, Dougie Kerr and Celina Mbwiria (Nick Gardner is behind the camera).

Both sides learned something new. For Malcolm it was a chance to join the ’shadows’ on an official guided tour round the building for the first time – as a Minister and the MSP for Edinburgh North and Leith he usually has a different view of the debating chamber and committee rooms. For the visiting party (which included Leith Open Space Group members Nick Gardner and Fay Young as well as Asha Pall, Celina Mbwiria, Subash Punn and Councillor Dougie Kerr) it was a chance to see those parts not usually covered by guided tours – the MSP’s offices and the restaurant.

But it was fitting that Malcolm’s tour began with a sculpture he had unveilled the night before to honour the contribution of Scottish women to democracy and human rights. Travelling the Distance, created by artist Shauna McMullan, records the thoughts of women in handwritten sentences which have been sculpted in porcelain. (It is worth remembering that five out of the six Opening Doors pioneers are women.)
Our thanks to Malcolm for giving us all such an informative and enjoyable visit – and a delicious lunch!

“For me …politics had always existed in some virtual world far away where politicians meted out decisions that affected people’s lives either positively or negatively.� Celina Mbwiria records her reactions to a first full council meeting.

Thursday 26th October 2006
A lovely autumn morning. I woke with a purpose and a spring in my step. My colleague and I were to visit the City Chambers in Edinburgh, to observe for the very first time, the workings of a ‘full council meeting’.

We arrived at the City Chambers at 10 am and my mentor (Councillor Phil Attridge) took us to the café area to meet other Leith councillors while a lady with a register came in and out checking which councillors had not yet arrived – like school roll call. The atmosphere and the banter were relaxed and helped relieve any anxieties we may have had about participating in such a venture.

For me the whole experience was a momentous one as I had never done anything like it before. Politics always existed in some virtual world far away where politicians meted out decisions that affected people’s lives either positively or negatively. And while I have most times exercised my democratic right to vote, I had never thought deeply about how such things affected my personal life. Through programmes such as this, I am stimulated to question things more, which I think is a very good thing.

In the public galleries, I was quite surprised to see so many ordinary people come to observe such proceedings. My colleague and I were the only people from the BME communities there and only because we are in this programme. This brings home to me the importance of programmes like this in raising awareness within the BME communities and encouraging them to come and witness decisions which affect them.

Heated debate

Below us sat all the councillors with the Lord Provost chairing the proceedings. Labour councillors were furthest away, Conservatives just in front of us and Liberal Democrats just underneath us. The acoustics were quite bad and it was hard to hear what was being said. Issues of great interest were discussed and I could catch one word here and there – I made note of these: a heated debate about council money being inappropriately spent; housing affordability; inequalities and reducing the gap; carbon emmissions, global warming and parking charges. My mentor gave me a copy of the report and that helped to a certain degree.

Some time was spent discussing the furnishings of the chamber – whether to buy new chairs or refurbish existing ones. This is the only debate I could follow because we could quite clearly hear the Lib Dems and the Conservatives as they made their argument for restoration of the chairs to preserve them for posterity against Labour’s case to replace them with more storage-friendly ones to reduce mounting storage costs.

Gender balance and BME representation

It was clear from the start that great gender imbalance existed in the chamber and there was only one councillor visible from BME communities. In fact I could only count three female Labour councillors and two Conservatives and I was informed that there were four female Liberal Democrats. Of 56 councillors present there were 9 female councillors – equivalent to 16%. Clearly there is a big gap here and I can’t help but wonder why this is so. When I later inquired from our host I was told that there was a time when women councillors were labelled the Knitting Club, a term women took in their stride and turned to their advantage. Still, it’s sad to see the glaring gender imbalance and I hope something can be done about it. As regards to BME communities, there is great need for programmes like ‘Opening Doors’ to inform and encourage BME communities to become more involved and claim their rightful place in the national politics.

Lunch with councillors

Over lunch we had a chance to talk with Leith councillors about issues that affected us individually or as a community. Later our host took us to see the office he shares with another councillor, with many pictures and photographs on the walls. Two pictures stood out for me. A South African one showing a tiny black man being kicked about by four burly uniformed white men – the other was of a dessicated body of a human victim of hurricane Katriona hanging on a barbed wire fence like a ragdoll. Seeing these pictures was poignant for me because they clearly indicated what the powerful few are capable of doing to the majority poor who have no voice.

Is the developed world as civilised as it claims to be?

At the end of the day, the whole experience was worthwhile and I enjoyed it all immensely and would encourage others to take part in such projects. I would like to thank the organisers of the project and my mentor for organising the activities and for looking after us through the day

Celina is one of six ‘shadows’ taking part in the Opening Doors programme to encourage black and minority ethnic representation in local and national politics. For more about Celina see the Local Heroes section of this website.

Subash Punn, a community worker currently shadowing Mark Lazarowicz MP, was featured in a positive report in the Evening News about the Opening Doors shadow scheme. “Ethnic Minorities stepping out of the shadows in political link up� 19 October.

Mark Lazarowicz MP with his two ’shadows’ Subash Punn and Kasia Raszewska
at the launch of Opening Doors on 5 October

Subash, who comes from an Indian background, told the Evening News that he was taking part in the shadowing scheme to learn more about the political process. He said he hopes the project will help to increase understanding between communities because he is disturbed by an increase in racist incidents since the July bombings in London last year.

“Any positive contact people have with ethnic groups will help,” he said. “We were making progress along the right lines, but it just takes something like the Twin Towers or the London bombings and that progress is wiped out.”

His call for greater understanding was reinforced by Mark Lazarowicz who told the Evening News, “All sorts of events can lead to increased tensions. The whole point of this exercise is to build up strong relations which mean that events that threaten these relationships don’t end up tearing communities apart.�

Subash is now looking forward to learning what the political process means for Mark as an MP at Westminster. Meanwhile, Doris Koyobe and Celina Mbwiria have been getting an insight into the workings of the City of Edinburgh Council. Shadowing Phil Attridge and Dougie Kerr, Celina and Doris were invited to view the October meeting of the full council.

All the ’shadows’ are getting a chance to sit in on surgery sessions and community events such as attending the Greener Leith meeting to learn about progress of plans for a community garden in Leith.

Keep watching this space!

Leith Open Space Group is launching this new community website with news of the Opening Doors shadow scheme. Our aim is to encourage greater ethnic minority representation in both local and national government. But at the same time the scheme will also enable our politicians to gain new insight into the communities they represent.

Welcoming pioneers at New Kirkgate Centre on 5 October

Malcolm Chisholm, Minister for Communities, welcomed the chance for two-way communication when he met the six shadows who are helping to launch what we think is the first scheme of its kind in Scotland. “I feel I have learned a lot already just by meeting you this afternoon. I am doubly lucky as I will benefit both as MSP and in my role as Minister for Communities,” said Malcolm as we sat round the table in the New Kirkgate Centre on Thursday, 5 October.The shadow scheme is a direct response to our two multicultural Open Space events in Leith in November 2005 and May 2006. At both events people asked how we can overcome obstacles that prevent ethnic minority communities taking a more active part in politics.

We’ve got a lot to learn. Although 2% of Scotland’s population are from minority ethnic groups there is no such representation in the Scottish Parliament. Opening Doors is based on schemes run by Operation Black Vote in Bristol and Westminster which has been successful in encouraging ethnic minority candidates to stand for election.

Subash Punn, Mark Lazarowicz MP and Kasia Raszewska
Our four-month project – running from October to January – will provide a glimpse of the political process in debates and day to day issues in the constituency. For at least two shadows, that will mean a trip to London to see our MP Mark Lazarowicz in action at the House of Commons as well as sitting in on surgery sessions and attending public meetings. For others there will be a chance to see behind the scenes at City of Edinburgh Council and the Scottish Parliament – as well as observing the real grass roots democracy of community councils.

So warm thanks to Asha, Celina, Doris, Kasia, Shaheena and Subash for opening the door and to the politicians they will shadow. Joining Mark Lazarowicz and Malcolm Chisholm in the scheme are local Councillors Phil Attridge, Trevor Davies, Dougie Kerr and Gordon Munro.

Following the example set by Operation Black Vote, both politicians and their ’shadows’ will be invited to keep a diary recording what they learn from the experience (click here to read the OBV journal of the week). Extracts can be posted on this website so you can follow their progress and, if you like, take part in discussion about topics raised during the project.