Suffrage Universel
Elus britanniques d'origine non-européenne
Mr Claude
MORAES
Groupe parlementaire du Parti socialiste européen, Membre
Parlement européen, Membre
Commission de l'emploi et des affaires sociales, Membre
Commission des libertés et des droits des citoyens, de la justice
et des affaires intérieures, Membre suppléant
Délégation pour les relations avec l'Afrique du Sud,
Vice-président
Royaume-Uni
Labour Party
Né le 22 octobre 1965, Aden
Bachelor of Laws (droits anglais et écossais), université de
Dundee (1983-1987). Master of Science en droit public et droit administratif,
université de Londres (1987-1989). Études postuniversitaires
de droit international, London School of Economics (1989-1990). Conseiller
politique des députés John Reid et Paul Boateng, Chambre des
Communes (1987-1989). Responsable pour la politique nationale, TUC (1989-1992).
Directeur du conseil paritaire pour le bien-être des immigrants
(1992-1998). Membre de la commission pour l'égalité des races
(1998-1999).
Candidat aux élections législatives britanniques (1992). A
occupé différentes fonctions au sein du parti travailliste
à Londres (depuis 1989).
Représentant du Royaume-Uni à la commission de
l'égalité des drois de la CES (1989-1992).
Membre du conseil de Liberty (Conseil national des libertés publiques
- NCCL) (1997-). Membre du conseil de la Charte 88 (1998). Administrateur
de Toynbee Hall (organisation de lutte contre la pauvreté de Londres-Est).
Lauréat de la British Diversity Gold Award for Contribution to the
Voluntary Sector (1998). Membre de la Société royale des arts
(FRSA).
http://www.goacom.com/goanow/99/july/personality.html
Goa's
CLAUDE MORAES
is first Asian Euro MP
About a month ago, CLAUDE MORAES became the first Asian ever to enter the European Parliament. Yet, notwithstanding the Age of Internet, the achievement of this statesman, who traces his Goan roots to Utorda in Salcete, largely went unnoticed.
Advocate Moraes was the chairman of the Labour Party Immigration Cell in the UK and the party candidate during the last elections. Today Moraes is the sole Asian in a almost wholly white European Parliament.
Claude Moraes was director of the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, England’s only independent national organization working on immigration, asylum and European migration matters.
After graduating in law, he was researcher to the Rt’ Hon Dr John Reid, MP and then a national policy officer at the British Trades Union Congress, where he was also on the European TUC's Equal Rights Committee.
He was appointed as a Campaign for Racial Equality Commissioner in 1998. He is a trustee of the East London Charity Toynbee Hall, and a council member of Liberty and Charter 88.
The Commission for Racial Equality defines itself as a group working for a just society, which gives everyone an equal chance to learn, work and live free from discrimination and prejudice, and from the fear of racial harassment and violence.
Over recent years, Moraes has come across as a champion of the rights of immigrants into the UK. Recently, he told British MPs that immigrants deprived of benefits, while appealing under the Government's new asylum proposals, would be "starved out of the country".
Objecting to the cuts, Moraes said, "People should be allowed to appeal, rather than be starved out of the country." He said that he wanted ministers to explain what would happen to asylum seekers prevented from claiming benefit.
Claiming that ministers were intending to move towards a system of internal immigration controls, he pointed out that the Home Office had already said that people using the National Health Service (NHS), schools or applying to benefit agencies, would have to show their passports.
Recently, Britain announced plans to train staff in Job Centres and benefit offices in how to spot illegal immigrants under new measures announced by Michael Howard, the Home Secretary. The proposals were immediately condemned as "dangerous and divisive" by Claude Moraes, director of the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants.
In April, when a bomb rocked the centre of London's Bangladeshi community - a week after a similar device blew up in Brixton, Claude Moraes protested, "I think that there will be a call for the police to step up their efforts to catch the perpetrators. The effect of this will be a shock in the community and the terror that has been caused is unacceptable."
Police said this, and the Brixton nail bomb attack, were racially motivated. An extreme right-wing group, Combat 18, has said it carried out the Brick Lane attack. Four racist groups claimed responsibility for the Brixton bombing.
When the British racist politician Enoch Powell died at the age of 85 recently, Moraes said that Powell had appealed to the "lowest common denominator" in his rivers of blood speech and had been proved wrong by history.
Across the whole of the European Union, Britain was the only country where there was any black or Asian candidates standing for election. Moraes was second in Labour's list of candidates in the London region and was thus almost certain to gain a place in the parliament under the proportional representation system.
At he last UK General Election he was given a pretty hopeless constituency to fight, and lost as expected. Moraes was one of the four Labour candidates elected from London along with Pauline Green, Robert Evans and Richard Balfe.
Frederick Noronha
The Independent (UK) Tuesday 1 June 1999. Front Page: Headline: One black MP for all Europe By Colin Brown, Chief Political Correspondent CLAUDE MORAES could be a lone voice in the European Parliament if he wins a seat in the European elections on 10 June. He is Asian and the European Parliament will be almost wholly white. Across the whole of the European Union, Britain is the only country where there are any black or Asian candidates standing for election. Mr Moraes is the second in Labour's list of candidates in the London region and is almost certain to gain a place in the parliament. Mr Moraes, a commissioner for the Commission for Racial Equality until standing for Labour, said: "I will be outnumbered by neo-fascists who think I am subhuman. "The neo-Nazis will get seats because of proportional representation, but there are no black candidates in the rest of Europe. It is almost incredible." Mr Moraes was amazed and angry when he visited the European Parliament with other Labour candidates and realised that he was one of the few black faces in the building. He said: "In France, they have an old colonial approach to black communities and while they are part of the establishment, they won't let them have a political role, because of racism. "In Germany, the Turks are third country nationals and they have ensured that they don't get on the candidates' lists. Portugul, Spain and Italy all have large immigrant populations from Africa but no black candidates." An analysis by Tara Mukherjee, chairman of the London-based European Multicultural Foundation, has found that there are no black or Asian candidates outside Britain for the European elections. "It is an outrage," said Mr Mukherjee, with a call for positive descrimination to get more members of the ethnic minorities on to selection lists. Britain's record is better than the rest of Europe, but it too has been dragging its heels in selecting black or Asian candidates, Mr Mukherjee said
Suffrage Universel
Elus britanniques d'origine non-européenne