Speaker / Gateway

The afternoon of the 3rd of November will stay etched in the minds of all the Rotarians as it marked the combined entreaty of two of the more powerful European Union parliamentarians, Nirj Deva and Daniel Hanan, who addressed and impressed upon us all their special mission of exploring and promoting the UK-India relationship. With Britain leaning towards exiting the European Union due to its protectionist and biased policies, it looks to strengthen its ties with India and other Commonwealth Nations. Eloquent, passionate and emphatic oraters, both Daniel Hanan and Nirj Deva, took us through the comprehensive history that India shared with the UK which has nurtured into a solid bond and the unparalleled potential it holds. Mr. Daniel Hanan is a member of European Parliament, conservative MP, prominent author, blogger and journalist. In 2009, the Youtube clip of his speech attracted over 1.4 million hits within 72 hours, making history as the most-watched clip in the political history of Britain. (The following is the represented version of Mr. Hanan’s speech) “It’s the time in the UK when we commemorate the end of the First World War. This year completes a 100 years of the war that started in 1915. A 100 years ago, India, like the UK was a nation at war with 1.3 million Indians volunteering for action in WW1, resulting in 74,000 martyrs. If we ask what force was so powerful to draw these brave men into war, the resounding answer is that they were taking up arms to defend Freedom, democracy and safeguards property and individual autonomy. These are values that connect people across continents and oceans. We are not defined only by our neighbours. The relationship between Britain and India has been prejudiced since 1973 when Britain joined the EU, in two ways: firstly it restricts the free movement of people and migration, though we house 1.5 million Britons of Indian origin. This discrimination weakens our long standing bond. And secondly, as members of the EU, we gave up trade autonomy and had to accept the common, commercial, protectionist policies which restricted our trade with India in the selfish interests of the other countries of the EU. India has made extraordinary economic progress as Indian markets open to the world. The potential for bilateral cooperation between India and the UK is phenomenal. This year we also celebrated the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta . At the site where it was sealed are three monuments – American, Indian and British – each based on the extraordinary tenet that the rulers don’t get to make the rules, that the law is above the government and therefore freedom and property is secured and the citizen has the capacity to press his rights through an independent magistracy rather than being at the whim of those higher up the social scale. It’s a great system as it creates free market, prosperity and security. That is the real link between the UK and India. That is what links us as freedom loving, democratic nations. And that’s why drawing on our great pasts and with great futures ahead of us, our countries can prosper together as friends and as allies,” he concluded to great applause! Next on came MP, Nirj Deva, the vocal parliamentarian and Member of European Parliament. Born in Ceylon to a higher-up business and political family, he was educated in England with an Aero-Engineering Degree and a PG Research Fellowship in Economics. In 1992 he became the first non-white person to be elected to the House of Commons and went on to become a role model empowering the election of eleven other non-white MPs to be elected into the House of Commons. In 1999, Nirj Deva broke the mould of European Politics by being the first ever Asian to be elected to the European Parliament. He is currently the non-executive director of two Forbes 300 companies and two other large regional companies with a workforce of over three lakh people. (The following is the represented version of Mr. Nirj Deva’s speech) “It’s always very pleasant to come home to India as my family came from this part of the world to Sri Lanka.” Quoting David Cameron and Narendra Modi, Nirj Deva reflected how the partnership between India and the UK would be an unbeatable combination. “I have to say with a bit of immodesty that we are making a bit of history this afternoon in this room. We are here to rediscover our roots which have been thoroughly neglected for nearly 60 years! Amidst heated and polarized debate about Britain’s continued future in the EU lies an elementary inherent inquiry into our perceived and collective British identity. Are we Europeans or does our sense of self seek natural global partners beyond the confines of an ailing and protectionist continent? This has resulted in a very sluggish GDP growth – 0.4% in the last quarter. Standing in stark contrast, is India’s economic ascendency at 7%! We are here today because we recognize a mutual opportunity. India’s rise as an economic super power is already assured, driven forward by a rapid expansion of trade and economic liberalization.” Expounding on UK’s investment in India, he said, “Last year the UK invested 3.2 billion in India, more than any other G20 country. Cumulatively, British investment over the last four years is the highest of any G20 country accounting for 10% of all investment into India across the period. Bilateral trade also grew by 50% between 2008 and 2013, from 11 billion to 16 billion. Today, more than 700 UK companies operate, process, assemble and manufacture in India, creating 1 in every 20 jobs in India! India and Britain are actively engaged in defence, technology, skill development and education sectors. Our common history has nurtured a natural movement of people from India to the UK, contributing to the establishment of lifelong links between our two countries. People of Indian origin are today the largest ethnic minority group in the UK, as also the wealthiest! The lethargic bureaucracy has meant that India’s private sector has thrived inspite of, not because of its government – 300 million people remain without links to the natural power grid, hundreds of government projects stalled due to ancient land acquisition acts, inadequate infrastructure for planned economic growth and corruption. I see common opportunities for the UK in India to solve these problems. Next year we have to decide and wrestle with the choice of exiting the EU. But before that happens, new opportunities need to be forged and old relationships strengthened. I believe the way forward has never been clearer. We need to look to new horizons and bigger markets full of dynamic young people who need the goods and services that we can provide. While both Britain and India face challenges, we need to work together on various fronts that will bring our two countries ever closer and more prosperous.” Touché!