The Independent reports:
The chairman of the Liberal Democrats’ ethnic minority group, who was controversially ejected from the party last month, has had his membership re-instated.
Race equality campaigners expressed outrage at the decision against Ruwan Uduwerage-Perera, chair of the Ethnic Minority Liberal Democrats (EMLD) group, who had his membership revoked by a disciplinary panel amid accusations of intimidation and harassment.
However, an appeals panel this week unanimously reversed the decision, ruling that the original investigation did not take into account the circumstances surrounding complaints against the former Newbury Town councillor.
Mr Uduwerage-Perera has always denied the allegations and says they were made after he blew the whistle about alleged mismanagement of public funds at the Council.
Members of the EMLD stood behind Mr Uduwerage-Perera and wrote to party leader Tim Farron and president Baroness Brinton calling for him to re-instated.
Mr Uduwerage-Perera told The Independent that the investigation had been “frustrating”, but committed his future to the party.
You can read the full article here.
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12 Comments
“The Liberal Democrat Party exists to build and safeguard a fair, free and open society in which we seek to balance the fundamental values of liberty, equality and community and in which no one shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity”
These are the reasons why I remain, for these principles, when enacted, can redress the inequalities that exist in our increasingly divided society.
With the growing numbers of sisters and brothers in the Ethnic Minority Liberal Democrats and aligned interests groups, plus with the support of external organisations such as Operation Black Vote (that is at the forefront of race equality within politics), I am aware that the battle for equity is ultimately assured. But when will we see victory I hear people ask?
“Walking the talk” regarding ethics and integrity is how the Liberal Democrat Party, plus other political parties will gain the publics confidence, and moving away from ‘spin’ and ‘expedience’, for then we will be seen as relevant.
I know that the Liberal Democrat Party like all other parties is riddled with unconscious biases and institutional bigotries, that thwart the recruitment, retention and progression of not only BaME community members, but anyone who does not fit into an outdated image of what a liberal believer should look or behave like. I certainly experienced and witnessed many biases and bigotries through this unsavoury affair.
I am immensely thankful though, not for the flawed processes, procedures and practices, that a few people who are neither liberal nor democratic were able to exploit, but for the people who genuinely “walk the talk” and identified that a miscarriage of justice had occurred, and that something needed to be done to resolve this injustice. I am also thankful for the many LibDem members, many of whom I have not had the pleasure of meeting personally, who sent me warm words of encouragement.
It is the existence of such people, and the faith and nonjudgmental support that I received externally as well as internally that has persuaded me to remain in the Liberal Democrat Party and continue the fight from within for equality for all.
Let us together save our Party from becoming an irrelevance!
I wish you all seasonal greetings, and I look forward to a New Year with fresh hope!
Namaste,
Ruwan Uduwerage-Perera
Chair – Ethnic Minority Liberal Democrats
Welcome back Ruwan, we missed you! Glad you never gave up. As comments on EMLD’s Facebook show, many were with you in believing your expulsion was an injustice. It’s great that the English Region have seen sense at last, but I think there needs to be a review about the process the Region have followed. Anyway, glad to have you back at the helm on EMLD and in the party.
The Liberal Democrats on a general level have a problem on dealing with the consequences of whistle blowing. Glass one came out right. Plenty that have not.
It took the party over two years and considerable time and effort to carry out the original disciplinary process which was Byzantine and amazingly drawn out.
Even more amazing is the speed (just over a month) at which the appeals process has overturned the apparently wrong decision of the disciplinary process. The speed of the appeal is matched only by its opacity.
@David – I trust that further detail will be forthcoming, but it seems that the appeal pannel didn’t need long to come to a conclusion because the case and the process used against Ruwan was so clearly flawed.
No one should have to go through such a long and substandard process and I hope that with EMLD’s input it can be dramatically improved for everyone’s benefit in future.
Why do the Lib Dems have such a problem with ethnic minorities and women?
Welcome back, Ruwan!
Phyllis – since one of the executives of the LGBT+LibDems group has openly stated ” men should be removed from society” and “all men should be killed” I think your comment might be a little harsh. I wonder how long a man would last in the party if he made statements like that about women?
@ Ruwan,
Well done on fighting your corner. I am pleased that you will be back, posting on here. I don’t usually find anything to disagree with. I am not too keen on the brothers and sisters bit in your current post though. My late mum and dad who were born in the early 1900’s used to tell me that ‘we are all brothers and sisters under the skin’. Please don’t fall into the trap of voluntary separation of groups ‘ or ‘communities’ as they seem to be called nowadays.
Namaste
@ Malc,
I have been a feminist since my teens, I have never, ever heard even the most abrasive feminist say the sort of things you quote. There are many strands of feminism, and I am wedded to the notion of ‘Intersectional Feminism’, ie. that the experiences and life chances of women will differ depending on social class, colour etc., but feminism is fundamentally about social justice for all, including men. Please don’t judge women by the comments of one person.
I agree that SOME Liberal Democrats seem to have a problem with ‘ethnic minorities’ and women.
@Jonathan Brown –
There is no reason to suppose that the case against Ruwan was flawed. However the disciplinary process run by the party was a disgrace. Regardless of the rights or wrongs nobody should have had to wait two years for a decision.
The remarkably speedy and entirely opaque appeals process is unlikely to produce anything of value, and certainly has not so far.
Jayne Mansfield
I didn’t – and never would – judge women by the comments of one person,
Hi Malc, sorry for the delay in responding, I hardly ever come on LDV anymore. If the person you quote did say those words and they are an accurate statement of what she meant , then I think it would be perfectly valid and appropriate to publicly and openly challenge that person to explain. No-one should advocate killing anyone and if they do, they certainly should not be in any position of responsibility representing Lib Dems. I cannot imagine many female or male Lib Dems supporting such a person but if they do, the party needs to take a good look at itself.
On my point though I am just mystified that the Lib Dem party has an institutional problem with women and ethnic minorities because individual Lib Dems do not have any such problem. I just don’t know how the membership, leadership, executive can be formed of liberal people and yet the institution is not. Genuinely mystified!!