23.06.2004

Respect - here to stay: For accountable and motivated representatives

Oliur Rahman was the Respect candidate in the Greater London Assembly constituency of City and East, where he polled 19,675 votes (15.03%). Peter Manson asked him about the campaign.

How do you account for such a good vote in your constituency?
The result we got in east London was fantastic. I was really pleased, especially when you consider that Respect was only formed a few months ago. To come out and achieve such a result in such a short period of time shows that we are putting ourselves on the political map - sending a message to Tony Blair and his pro-war friends that we are coming after their seats.

The BBC said that the reason we got such a good result in east London was because anti-war muslim people voted for Respect. But we are proud to have attracted the muslim vote. Certainly the war was the biggest issue, but muslim people are not only opposed to the war. They are also interested in hospitals, transport, education for their children - they are just as affected by those issues as non-muslims. The reason there was such a good result was because Respect went out campaigning, talking to people from morning to evening, listening to people's concerns and telling people where we stand.

But it's true that you did make a particular impact in the muslim community, isn't it?
As I said, we are proud to have got the muslim vote, but I don't think it was only muslims. And not all of them voted for us - a lot voted Labour. But, especially in places like Tower Hamlets and Newham, most likely the majority of our vote came from muslims because of our firm stance against the war.

Our support came out of the anti-war movement. There's no way Tony Blair could get two million people to demonstrate for the war. But the Stop the War Coalition did, bringing together a whole range of people - muslims, non-muslims, people with no faith, black, white. They all came together over the one issue.

The difference between us and the other parties is that we say what we mean and we mean what we say. We don't want to be elected just to sit in parliament or the GLA, or to enjoy an expensive meal and a cigar in posh restaurants. We are ordinary people and we care what happens in our community. That's why we got 20,000 votes in east London. If there were council elections here tomorrow I think we would do really well.

My argument is that when you get elected you are accountable to all the people who elected you. You have to listen to their views and their concerns. You don't do what you think is right, because you're not doing it for yourself: you're doing it for them. When representatives fail to do that, they should resign - they're failing their community and those that elected them.

But what is the best way of ensuring accountability? We in the CPGB say that representatives should only accept the equivalent of a skilled worker's wage, so that they are not tempted by the gravy train. What is your view on this?
This is something to be debated and I am sure there will be differences. I don't know what my party's view is, but personally I agree with you. The general secretary of my union, Mark Serwotka, does that. If you're going to represent working class people, you can only really understand their needs if your earnings are on the same level as them. If you yourself are affected in the same way as them, then you are more likely to fight for the common cause - including a decent minimum wage.

For example, look at the situation in the Public and Commercial Services Union, to which I belong, and other unions. Tony Blair spent over £6 billion on the war, but he says he hasn't got the money to give to the hard-working people of this country. I challenged Jim Fitzpatrick, my local MP, when he came to a protest organised by the TGWU about the low pay of cleaners and other workers in Canary Wharf. I asked him why he doesn't demand that the government raise the minimum wage to the level of the European threshold. He refused to comment.

That's why it's important that representatives are genuinely committed. They must be motivated to campaign for issues. Before the election I didn't even know who my London assembly member was. Surely they should talk to the people on the street, whether they can do much or not, and find out their concerns. So it's about time we had a party that listens on the real issues. I have committed myself to do that, whether I stand again or not, whether I get elected or not. I will continue to campaign for the cause I believe in and to benefit the wider community.

Can you tell me about the campaign?
We were amazed at the response we got from ordinary people - we're still getting a good response, with people wanting to join and so on. We had one public meeting with 150-200 people and lots of contributions from the floor. Then there was the Bangladeshi festival in Brick Lane. About 25,000 people attended and we went out there leafleting. Oonagh King, another pro-war MP, was also there. When I challenged her to a debate on the war and her support for it, she just walked away without saying anything at all. The way I see it, her electorate deserves an explanation.

We had meetings in Barking and Newham and I was invited to workplaces to address firefighters and local government workers. I also spoke at mosques in Newham and Tower Hamlets. Some of them were very closely involved in the campaign. The Newham Alliance, a council which represents around 25 mosques, did a leaflet for us. They called on their members to vote for Respect.

We are a new party and there's lots we need to learn to get established, including working with other organisations. We were more than happy to work with anyone, so long as their hands are clean. In Tower Hamlets, for example, there will be by-elections soon because of certain things that two Labour councillors were involved in. We intend to fight both seats. We have a meeting this week to confirm who the candidate will be in the first by-election in July.

What other issues were important, apart from the war?
Schools, transport, the health service, pensions. Also more black and Asian people are subjected to stop and search. Pensioners were demonstrating last Saturday in central London. I genuinely believe they deserve a decent life in their old age without having to worry about money.
One of the big issues is housing. Lindsey German, our candidate for mayor, is going to launch a national campaign. At the moment there is something like 100,000 empty houses in London, yet in Tower Hamlets, for instance, there is a housing crisis.

On education, Tony Blair and most of his ministers went to the best universities in the country without having to pay - we paid for their education. Today students who go to college or university to get the education they deserve have to worry how they're going to pay for it. What a disgrace that the Labour government treats people like this. What a disgrace the way they treat the pensioners.
I work for the government and I know how they treat the trade unions. They've kicked out the RMT, one of the unions that founded the Labour Party, just because they decided to affiliate to another party in Scotland. That's not democracy. We live in a democratic society and we should be able to decide how to spend our money without being bullied or threatened with being kicked out of Labour if we decide to support another party too.

I predict that because of all these things Tony Blair will be gone before the next election. His party will kick him out.

If that happened, some people might see it as part of 'reclaiming' the Labour Party and there would be no need for an organisation like Respect. What is your view?
Whether Tony Blair goes and is replaced by Gordon Brown is not the main question. It's not just about the leadership, but policy. There are some good MPs in the Labour Party and I've got the utmost respect for them, but they are a minority. Labour is no longer the party it used to be. New Labour is letting people down at every stage and in every way. Once Labour was for the poor and the Tories were for the rich, but today more and more ordinary working class people have stopped supporting Labour - they don't believe it represents their views any more.

Returning to the election campaign, what did you say on asylum-seekers and migrants in general?
We did talk about that a lot during the campaign. We're more than happy to see people coming in from other countries. What do you expect when you bomb their country? Where do you expect them to go? We welcome such people here.

Do you think people should have the right to go to any country even if they're not fleeing war or oppression?
Of course, yes. Again, we said that during the campaign. People should be allowed to go where they choose, but obviously you have to follow the rules and regulations of the country concerned. I'm not sure what the party's policies are exactly, but that is my view.

Perhaps the trouble is that Respect only has a broad declaration, not precise policies, and candidates can only give their own individual views on lots of issues.
Well, the Labour Party's been around for 100 years, but we've only been here for a few months. We need to work on a lot of things and decide on our position and how we're going to campaign.

A few weeks ago George Galloway said that he personally was against abortion. Because Respect has no official policy and made no official statement, some people might have got the impression that Respect was an anti-abortion party.
Again, because I don't know the party's policy, I can only give my personal view. If somebody chooses to have an abortion, I would say they should be given the chance. They should be given proper consultation and then, if they still choose to go ahead, it should be entirely up to them.

Do you think Respect should officially adopt that position?
I don't know. Respect is a members' party and the members will decide how the party's run. Obviously I will give my view and listen to what others say.

What is your personal and political background?
I am a muslim and I go to the mosque whenever I can, although I'm not very religious. I am the branch chair of East London PCSU and I've always been interested in politics, although I was never a member of any party before I joined the Socialist Alliance (just before Respect came along). I never voted until four years ago, when Ken Livingstone stood as an independent.
I got involved when the war started. I saw what Labour was doing in this country and across the world, and I joined the Socialist Alliance and went out and campaigned against the war. My union was affiliated to the STWC and I went to every single demonstration. Then, when Respect came along, I was happy to join the party.

You keep referring to Respect as a party. Do you think it should actually become one?
Yes, of course. We are here to fight for good causes all the time. We don't want to disappear and only come back for elections. We are definitely here to stayward or a reactionary dead end?