Dr Krishna Sarda - Ethnic Minority Foundation

ePolitix.com talks to Dr Krishna Sarda of the Ethnic Minority Foundation about the Commission on Integration and Social Cohesion report on 'Our shared future'.

Question: What is your reaction to the publication last month of the Commission on Integration and Social Cohesion report entitled 'Our shared future'?

Dr Sarda: EMF welcomes the report in the sense that it is trying to give clear focus and shape to some of the current social policy issues in the government’s political agenda.

However, it is disappointing in that it has missed an opportunity to produce some groundbreaking thinking regarding the challenge of integration and cohesion. On the whole, I would give it a mixed review.

Question: Do you agree with the report’s recommendation for the promotion of a ‘shared national vision’ and ‘shared values’?

Dr Sarda: Overall EMF agrees with the report’s recommendations, although some of them appear to be duplicated. The report fails to mention that some of its recommendations have cost implications. It also makes no mention of who is responsible for the implementing the various strategies suggested.

Question: Do you agree with the report’s recommendation that Local Authorities should not ‘automatically’ translate materials into community languages, but rather produce English-only documents?

Dr Sarda: In our experience, Local Authorities in London and elsewhere do not automatically translate information into community languages due to limited financial resources allocated to this task.

I believe that the principle of automatic translation is wrong. On the contrary, it should be needs-led. There is therefore a case for supporting translation services particularly where there are gaps in service provision and where translation can make a difference to individuals and communities.

I am not aware of any communities living in Britain that are not keen to learn English. Really, it is a question of resources and access to learning provision.

The reality remains that there is very little public money available for people to learn English as a second language. Communities are indeed keen to learn the language, and in our view the government should provide adequate language services to meet this need.

Question:  Do you think there is a need to inculcate respect for ‘individual rights and responsibilities’ among the country’s population? Why?

Dr Sarda: This has been the government’s thinking for quite some time, as its civic engagement agenda and the inclusion of Citizenship Studies in the school curriculum illustrates.

The challenge, which the Commission has failed to address, is creating capacity in our communities so that they are able to live and work with difference.

One could ask whether we have the ability to engage Britain’s diverse communities in difficult conversations. I am not really sure. But clearly there are issues around developing the competencies within Local Authorities to be able to deal with challenges that diversity and difference present them with.

Question:  What are your thoughts on the Commission’s proposed new national body to manage the integration of migrants? Which powers should such body have? Who should it be accountable to?

Dr Sarda: The concept of having a mechanism in place to integrate new arrivals is very important. Whether this should take place through a new body is more problematic. The UK does not have a particular coherent record of planned migration.

With the appropriate strategic vision and scope, planned migration can see a national body dealing with issues concerning different values and cultures. However, given the complex and fragmented migration patterns of today, the question then becomes, what is the focal point which can bring some of those shared values together?

A large national body of the kind suggested, if not thought through properly, can be a recipe for disaster; ultimately, resulting in increased tensions both at local and national level.

Question:  Do you think we need a Commission on Integration and Cohesion in the first place? What would you expect such Commission to achieve?

Dr Sarda: From what I have observed of the Commission, it has only rubber-stamped policy initiatives already announced by the government, as in the case of single group funding and language issues. These have already been discussed at length in the public political arena.

So what is new? I am afraid, nothing! In that sense this Commission’s report has been a missed an opportunity to bring about new thinking, while exploring innovative alternative solutions.

Given that the vast majority of our communities are well adjusted law-abiding collectives, I personally don’t see a need for a Commission on Integration and Social Cohesion.

What is needed is to address the barriers to integration - particular, economic integration - preventing members of these communities from becoming active citizens. Greater economic integration can ultimately increase social integration. If you look for instance at the Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities, which experience the highest levels of unemployment and economic inactivity in Britain; they ought to be one of the Commission’s priority.

Question:  What is your view on the state of community relations in Britain today, in particular within the context of the recent attempted attacks in London and the attack on Glasgow airport?

Dr Sarda: Overall, community relations are good in the UK, but there will always be incidents like those in London and Glasgow that will test how we live together a British collective.

Promoting good community relations is something that needs to be constantly encouraged and monitored. If you look, in the past couple of weeks, at the letters to the editor pages in the press; you will see a lot of communities condemning the attacks and welcoming expressions from those perceived to be part of the difficult equation.

One of the key issues the Commission’s report is silent about is that of ‘community leadership’. While it does make reference to the promotion of strong local leadership, it does not state how that leadership is to be created, where it is to come from, or who should take responsibility for developing it.

If we are serious about bridging the gap between fundamentally different communities, then investment in community leadership is crucial.

Question:  Do you think community leaders, particularly within the Muslim community, are dealing adequately with the problem of extremism within their midst? What would you like to see happen at community level?

Dr Sarda: I think Muslim community leaders are dealing with it in the best way they know, but they need more help and assistance. The question is, where is this support to come from?

I do not necessarily think it is a function of central government to bear the full brunt; but a collective effort involving local government, the third sector and faith communities themselves.

What central government can do, is to establish the framework, the national picture if you will, to bind us together and guide stakeholders at the local level. Our experience suggests that this is certainly the way forward.

Question:  Do you have a final message for ePolitix.com readers?

Dr Sarda: One of the biggest challenges facing our country is the development of a coherent social policy framework that will allow our diverse communities to co-exist together.

Communities in turn, need to learn to live with difference, engaging in difficult conversations and cooperating with each other. Failure to do so would be a great disservice to the communities themselves, the British nation and our next generation of British citizens.