New Delhi/London, April 13
Gita Gordon,
nominated by Britain's Liberal Democrats as a candidate in next month's
parliamentary elections, has been a busy woman lately, attending one
meeting after another and canvassing door-to-door, but never feels tired
to underline her resolve to stand by the voters and prove they can
change things.
Gordon, an India-born woman fighting from the
South Shields constituency, is the first minority ethnic candidate
chosen to fight from a northeast British constituency for the Liberal
Democrats.
"My candidacy, along with being a proud moment for my
party because of my ethnicity and gender (apparently we made history
with it!), has additional message for people of South Shields," Gordon
said in an e-mail interview with IANS.
"I am standing to
encourage the electorate -- the residents of South Shields, who are so
far disengaged from mainstream politics. Individuals who feel
disenfranchised because they believe that they will not be able to
change anything. I am there to prove it to them that they can. If I can
do this, so can they," Gordon said.
"I heard people crying out
for change, they do want to put an end to wastage and misuse of public
money and give the current state of management a stronger opposition."
Gordon
speaks fluent Hindi, Punjabi, and Urdu and has a working knowledge of
Bengali. She worked as a business development executive in banking and
marketing.
While making it a point to mention her rootedness to
the British society, she is duly proud of India's rich cultural heritage
and her upbringing in a traditional Indian family.
"It pleases me when I hear people refer to India with great respect with regard to specific areas," she told IANS.
Gordon revealed that she was impressed by the way Prime Minister Narendra Modi had been trying to take India forward.
"I am aware that India is fast improving the infrastructure that will attract not just NRIs but also others for various reasons.
"I
believe that old system of working in various departments is also being
replaced by better, efficient methods. In my opinion, India is well on
its way in its own right to invite the world to sit up and (take)
notice."
Gordon is keen to encourage stronger relations between Britain and India.
However,
the enthusiasm around Gordon's candidacy notwithstanding, she will have
her task cut out in a constituency which has been a Labour stronghold
for quite some time now. The Liberal Democrats' support dwindled
dramatically in the 2013 byelection, and Gordon could be facing one of
the toughest fights of her political career.
The strong-willed
mother-of-two is undeterred though. "It is Liberal Democrats who have
been able to push forward most of the progressive policies as compared
to the Conservatives within the government," Gordon said.
"This time round, the economy is on its way to recovery and jobs and growth are on their way up.
"The
voters' turnout in the 2013 byelection was very low... I hope all
communities, ethnic minority communities as well as others, feel more
encouraged to actively participate in electing for change," she said.
Outlining the goals of her party, Gordon said, "We disagree with oppression on the basis of ignorance, poverty and conformity."
She added that "the party tries to encourage greater participation of individuals from particularly underrepresented groups".
The
Liberal Democrats aim to "build a fair and open society" so that
"everyone can take advantage of the opportunities" that are created,
according to Gordon, who also alluded to her party's liberal outlook
towards immigration.
Gordon has a degree in welfare studies from
the University of Central Lancashire, and she is a member and volunteer
for Soroptomists International, a global organisation which focusses on
improving the lives of women, and a volunteer for the British Heart
Foundation and Age Concern.
Her "experience of working with
individuals from all walks of life, age groups and those experiencing
difficulties at different levels" had prepared her for the current role,
she felt.
"I believe that I do have the capacity to fight for people, and get things done," Gordon asserted.
(Debdutta Bhattacharjee can be contacted at debdutta.b@ians.in
