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| Tory Cllr Ahmet Dourmoush (R) out cavassing with his local MP James Brokenshire |
The Local Elections earlier this year marked a major increase in
political activity from the British Turkish community, which includes those of
Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Kurdish origin. A record number were elected to
office in May 2014: 32 councillors in total – nearly double the 17 councillors that were
elected in 2010. A further 51 candidates from the community stood for election,
but were not successful.
There were candidates of Turkish heritage in 16 of London Camden
(1), Enfield
The huge electoral success in the London Borough of Enfield means a
quarter of all available seats on the council (63 in total) are
held by British Turks. In addition, Labour councillor Ali Bakır (pictured), originally
from Kahramanmaras , Turkey
Labour remains the most popular and successful party for the community:
of their 33 candidates in the May elections, 25 of them – 75% in total – emerged
as winners. The Conservative Party fielded 28 British Turkish candidates, of
which 7 were elected – a 25% success rate. The Liberal Democrats put forward 12
candidates of Turkish origin, the Greens 2 and the Trade Unionist and Socialist
Coalition (TUSC) 8 without any electoral successes.
Newly elected Ahmet Dourmoush on life as a councillor and his future political aspirations
Although there is a significant Turkish community in Southeast
London , very few have taken up public office. Bucking
the trend is Ahmet Dourmoush, elected for the first time in May to serve as a
Tory councillor in Bexley. T-VINE caught up with him a few weeks ago to find
out more about his entry into political life.
How old are you, where
were you born and raised?
I am 53-years-old and was born in Greenwich UK when I was 2-months-old and was raised in Cyprus until I was 10, when my parents decided
to return to Britain
What about family life?
I am happily married to Elmaz Dourmoush and we have two daughters.
One is a barrister and the other is at university studying psychology.
What is your current
profession?
I am a self-employed businessman. I work as the Operations Director for
the Eden Valley Group.
When and why did you
jump into politics?
I have always been involved in politics, although previously this
was more as an observer. My active participation started in 2005, when I became
the Vice Chairman and Treasurer of the Old Bexley & Sidcup Conservative Association.
I am sceptical of our Turkish Cypriot community's activities in
the political arena. Now I am a councillor, I would like to help and encourage,
and possibly mentor, younger members of our community to become active members
in whichever party they choose, so that hopefully we can see young dynamic MPs of
Turkish Cypriot origin in the very near future.
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| Cllr Dourmoush with London Mayor Boris Johnson |
Why did you join the
Conservatives?
The Conservative Party’s ideals sit far better with the Turkish
community: we also place great importance on enterprise, family values, law and
order, and non-interference / limited control by the state so you can able help
yourself and your family more directly. I believe that these Conservative
principles are far more in line with our morals and virtues of life than any
other party in the UK
Who are your political
bedfellows in Bexley?
There are a total of 45 Conservative councillors, 15 Labour and 3
UKIP. I represent Longlands Ward on Bexley council. There is another Tory
councillor of Turkish Cypriot origin – Cafer Münür, who represents the East Wickham ward.
Describe your work as a councillor
to date.
My main priority initially was to learn the infrastructure and
[operating] mechanics of the council. The bulk of my time as councillor is
spent dealing with standard requests from my constituents regarding their planning
application and objections, licensing issues, [concerns over] antisocial
behaviour, policing forums, and Strategy 2018, so we can plan ahead and ensure the
effective management of the council’s funds and services until the next elections.
I am also the chair of a sub-group currently assigned to the retendering of a
massive ICT contract.
With record numbers of
British Turks taking up office in local government, are you hopeful we will get
our first MP in the near future?
Absolutely! I shall certainly be looking to move on into national
politics at some stage in the near future and this should be the goal for a lot
of our councillors. It is one of the reasons why I initially got involved in
local politics. It’s important that the next wave of our young politicians are nurtured
and encouraged now.
What’s holding us back?
There should be nothing holding us back. In previous years, I
believe it was our attitudes and a lack of knowledge and understanding of the
political system in Britain
Related news:
Ali Bakır inaugurated as Enfield Mayor, 26 June 2014
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