Immigrants withdraw from 2014 local election field citing lack of party support, rise in racism.
Many immigrant candidates who contested the last local elections in 2009 will not be putting their names forward in 2014, Metro Éireann can reveal.
One of the reasons a number of them have given to this paper is the lack of full support from their political parties when they first contested.
Some former candidates cited personal reasons for opting out of the race, while others still mentioned a growing level of racism and xenophobia as discouraging them from running.
Those whose names will be missing from the ballot in next year’s local elections include high profile immigrants such as Adeola Ogunsina, Fine Gael’s current equality officer for the Dublin West constituency; Tallaght-based Green Party candidate Tendai Madondo; and independents Patrick Maphoso (Dublin Central) and Rashid Butt (Mullingar Town Council).
Metro Éireann understands that up till last month Fine Gael was persuading Ogunsina to run in the Castleknock or Mulhuddart ward, but he bluntly refused.
It is believed that he wants the Government and his Fine Gael party to educate new voters on active citizenship and political participation to make it easier for the new Irish candidates.
A local Fine Gael source quoted Ogunsina as saying: “The new Irish electorate needs to know that it is a call to duty – an honour for anyone to be nominated by a party to stand for election and that the person is not running for his own selfish interest.”
The source said Ogunsina is also of the view that if a political party is serious enough in running a new Irish candidate, “they need to see the candidate as equal to local Irish candidates who are also contesting under the same party”.
It’s understood that Ogunsina is held in high esteem within Fine Gael, and the source said the party is still very optimistic that he will change his mind before nominations close.
Ogunsina himself confirmed to Metro Éireann that he is not running, but did not comment further. However, it’s expected that he may reconsider if no other ethnic minority candidate is fielded by any party in either electoral ward, based on his past proclamations about diversity in local politics.
Elsewhere, Tendai Madondo said she wants “to work more broadly than focusing on the local issues.”
The former Green Party candidate told Metro Éireann: “I feel I can better influence broadly.”
Following the last election, Madondo has been advising other local election hopefuls from all backgrounds, as well as future political prospects in her home country Zimbabwe.
In Mullingar, Rashid Butt said he is not standing due to personal reasons, compounded by the difficulties he sees in getting immigrants to campaign in a more hostile environment caused by racism and xenophobia.
And in Dublin, Patrick Maphoso – who was subjected to racial abuse during his 2009 campaign by a man since jailed for the crime – is also not contesting, saying that he doesn’t believe Irish people “are ready for change”.
“According to my assessment, it will take 10 to 15 years from now for immigrants to get proper representation in this country unless there’s a political will,” he said, referring to the Government’s determination to proactively include immigrants via the introduction of a quota system.
Maphoso cited the ongoing recession, the rising number of racist incidents and a high level of resentment against immigrants as contributing to his decision not to run.
Meanwhile, a number of other candidates – including former Portlaoise Mayor Rotimi Adebari – told Metro Éireann they were still consulting and would make their decisions public in the coming months.
