Mohammad Asghar
Mohammad Asghar | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Welsh Assembly for South Wales East | |
| Assumed office 3 May 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Laura Anne Jones |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 30 September 1945 Peshawar, North West Frontier Province, British India (Now in Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa, Pakistan) |
| Political party | Welsh Conservative Party |
| Other political affiliations | Plaid Cymru (until 2009) Labour party (mid 1990's) |
Mohammad Asghar (born 30 September 1945),[1] known as Oscar,[2] is an Asian politician. He was elected to the Welsh Assembly in 2007 as a member of Plaid Cymru on the list for South Wales East;[3] in December 2009 he left the party and joined the Welsh Conservatives. He was the first ethnic minority and Muslim member of the Assembly.[4]
Born in Peshawar, then in British India, he gained a BA from Peshawar University[1] before moving to Wales in order to complete a course in accountancy in Newport. Asghar initially joined the Conservative party, remaining a member for some two decades, later joining the Labour party in the 1990's.[5] He joined Plaid Cymru sometime after becoming Wales’ first Muslim councilor, representing Victoria ward on Newport City Council.[6] He has stood for Plaid Cymru in general elections. His daughter, Natasha Asghar, also stood as Plaid Cymru candidate in the 2007 Elections.[7]
On 8 December 2009, Asghar became the first AM to cross the floor, defecting from Plaid Cymru to the Conservative Party. He claimed that he felt "out of tune" with Plaid policies, described himself as a royalist and unionist,[8] and stated that he felt like "a little parrot in a jungle".[9] Plaid Cymru Called on Asghar to resign his seat following his defection.[10]
Expenses scandal and corruption
In November 2010, Asghar was one of nine Conservative AMs who fraudulently claimed expenses for an overnight hotel stay coinciding with the birthday of fellow Assembly member Nick Ramsay.[11]
Accusations of corruption were also leveled at Asghar due to the abnormal pay arrangements he has had with several of his staff, with two staff members remaining on permanent paid leave until the Welsh assembly was dissolved in 2011. Charges of nepotism have also been associated with his staff arrangements, with his daughter Natasha Asghar — who was explicitly banned from his employ by the Plaid Cymru leadership while he was a member of the party — becoming a paid member of his staff upon his defection to the Conservative party.[12] Asghar has gone on record as stating that MEP Jillian Evans offer to give this same daughter work experience was a significant factor in his decision to defect from the Labour party to Plaid Cymru.[13]
Controversy over 2011 election candidacy
In August 2010, Asghar was selected to stand for the Welsh Conservatives in the 2011 Welsh assembly election.[14] In September 2010 David Fouweather, the Chair of the South-East Wales Area Council of the Welsh Conservatives, called for a full investigation into events that preceded the endorsement of Mohammad Asghar as a regional list candidate.[15] In a letter to the Chair of the Welsh Conservatives, Fouweather wrote:
"There were numerous telephone calls made to myself by a representative of the party chairman’s office in London. These calls made it quite clear to me that Mohammad Asghar had to be re-adopted at all costs because of the embarrassment that it would create for the party."[15]
"I was told that failure to re-adopt Mr Asghar could lead to my possible suspension from the party whilst an investigation was carried out to see if there were any racial motives for him not being adopted. This I found deeply offensive, resulting in a great deal of pressure being put upon me to deliver the desired outcome for the party hierarchy."[15]
Following his call for an investigation into Asghar's selection, Fouweather was asked by the Conservative Party to stand down as Chair of the South-East Wales Area Council.[16]
References
- ^ a b "ASGHAR, Mohammad, "Who's Who 2009"". A & C Black, 2008. Online ed., Oxford: OUP. 2008. Retrieved January 4, 2009.
- ^ "Mohammed Asghar AM". National Assembly for Wales. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
- ^ Labour given a bloody nose icWales, 4 May 2007
- ^ First ethnic minority AM elected BBC News, 4 May 2007
- ^ "Matt Withers: AM has been promiscuous with his political parties". Wales on Sunday. 2009-12-13.
- ^ Gwent politician survives bomb attack, South Wales Argus, 19 October 2007.
- ^ Young Candidates, Plaid Cymru
- ^ Plaid AM defects to Conservatives, BBC News online, 8 December 2009.
- ^ "Plaid Cymru AM joins the Conservatives", Walesonline.co.uk, 8 December 2009.
- ^ Plaid AM defects to Conservatives, BBC News online, 8 December 2009.
- ^ "Tory AMs accused of wasting money on 'boys on tour jolly'". Western Mail. 2010-11-10.
- ^ "Daughter of AM who left Plaid to join the Tories is now on his staff". Western Mail. 2010-01-26.
- ^ "Matt Withers: AM has been promiscuous with his political parties". Wales on Sunday. 2009-12-13.
- ^ "Tories endorse Mohammad Asghar for 2011 regional list". BBC News. 2010-08-28.
- ^ a b c "Conservatives refuse to confirm role of London official in racism storm". Western Mail. 2010-09-17.
- ^ "Councillor sidelined over row". Western Mail. 2010-11-13.