by Fiyaz Mughal
Prospective Liberal Democrat Mayoral Candidate

I have lived nearly 20 years in London having emigrated from Kenya in 1983 and from Uganda in1971.

Both emigrations were due to political instability and turmoil in East Africa. The first was due to a coup attempt against the then President of Kenya, Daniel Arap Moi and the second was due to the racist ejection of Asians from Uganda from the megalomaniac and autocrat, also known as Idi Amin.

I am glad that my life took the direction that it did since I would not have had the opportunity to live in the greatest City in the World - London! Now, aged 36, I am a prospective Liberal Democrat Mayoral Candidate for London.

My vision of London is one based upon four key principles. These include fairness, financial and social equality, localism and community cohesion. It is the last principle that I want to pick up and explain since it is a subject that has seen much discourse and debate on though I think that bold solutions are needed. More than ever, the Mayor must stand as someone who unites London and not someone who divides it.

The current Mayor is a divisive character, both in his outspokenness and in his extremely vocal views on flashpoint issues like the Middle East. His undoubted focus on this area unfortunately cannot make up for that. What we need is a Mayor whose first priority is to unite communities.

Integration is an essential part of community cohesion and the lack of integration causes social and economic miseries for those who are marginalised. It also contributes indirectly to the security threats London faces and it also drives a large informal economy, which pays no taxes and therefore plays no part in the development of London.

Exclusion of communities encourages radicalisation of young men who feel they have no part to play in London society. And if we have already failed to integrate one generation, what are the prospects for the future? Following the A8 Accession Treaty, further mass immigration, particularly from Poland, has swelled the workforce and changed the face of London.

This time, we must not let our new Londoners down. We must give people opportunities and ensure that they have a chance to play a role in London's future development.

As Mayor of London I would:

Use my twelve years of expertise in interfaith dialogue and promoting good community relations to be a truly unifying figure.

Push more resources towards the provision of ESOL (English as a Second Language) courses in which funding is currently being cut.

Encourage new interfaith initiatives like the twinning of faith centres from different religions.

Lobby to remove Section 44(2) powers of stop and search since this is counterproductive and leaves those searched with a feeling of being part of the problem and not part of the solution to combating terrorism and extremism. I support better intelligence led policing and the use of electronic intercepts.

Promote throughout the GLA a systematic acknowledgement that the A8 Accession Treaty has changed the face of London.

Put in place projects of co-operation with the Home Office and relevant Embassies to look at ways of preventing vulnerable females from certain target countries being drawn into prostitution. This is especially the case for young females from A8 Accessions States, (particularly from Poland).

Gather together all the excellent research being carried out into the economic lives of the Eastern European, Somali and Turkish communities, certain faith groups and in young white male populations from lower socio-economic brackets; as a group they are suffering social and financial exclusion and are feeding problems back into London as a result. The information will be presented in a format that is easy to understand with key action points.

Create a permanent Inclusion Committee to look at all these findings and draw up policies to bring people from these marginal groups back to the heart of London life. The Inclusion Committee would also work closely with the Commission for Equalities and Human Rights (CEHR).

Promote more investment into breaking down mental cultural barriers between communities, for example, there is real ghettoisation in areas in London like Tower Hamlets.

Lobby for further recruitment of women in police work and particularly in intelligence work because as lynchpins of more traditional communities they have a vital role to play.

Promote programmes that physically take individuals beyond the UK to get an understanding of where London's communities are coming from culturally.

Institute an induction process for new citizens and go beyond snap tests - a series of review meetings would take place in the final three months before the test to assess by interview those elements which will not be picked up by testing.

Underlying this is the fact that integration and community cohesion are not unipolar and should not be directed only towards migrant communities. They need to be two way developmental processes and it is up to us all to shape our future.

More than ever, we need to act now and we need to act together. I hope that you can come with me on new journeys within this vibrant and exciting city.

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Fiyaz Mughal is one of three Liberal Democrat candidates vying to be the party's official candidate for London Mayor.