Ahead of election day on 4 July, the Student sat down with Simita Kumar, the Scottish National Party candidate for Edinburgh South, to find out her views on issues close to students.
Kumar currently leads the SNP group in the Labour-controlled Edinburgh City Council.
She is the group’s first female leader and the council’s first ethnic minority leader, a feat she describes as “pretty remarkable, but also terrifying”.
Hailing from Fiji and moving to Scotland as a teenager, Kumar worked in the NHS before “reluctantly” standing as a councillor two years ago.
Discussing her background, she said:
“Both my mom and dad have come from very low socioeconomic backgrounds.”
“I am very committed to the priorities of the working class, of the wider majority of people who perhaps don’t have the same equity of opportunities.”
“I’m not a career politician, I know that I will one day go back to the NHS because that’s where my heart lies. But while I’m here, I’m going to use my platform to do good.”
Cost of Living
Kumar said “Tory mismanagement of public funds” alongside Brexit and international conflicts had driven up food and energy costs.
She added that decreases in the Scottish Government’s annual capital budget have restricted its response, but pointed to policies around limiting short-term lets and social security.
Holyrood receives a block grant from the UK government that reflects changes in Westminster spending.
Kumar wants Holyrood to control more funding decisions.
Climate Crisis
The SNP would subject new North Sea oil and gas licences to climate compatibility tests rather than ruling out new licences entirely like Labour and the Scottish Greens.
Kumar said she can “absolutely understand the arguments on all sides” but that North Sea workers who are dependent on oil and gas revenue should not be forgotten.
we don’t have a second planet
“I am reassured in my chats with SNP and other officials that we have not lost our eye on climate change, we don’t have a second planet.”
She added that she “unfortunately witnessed climate change firsthand” when living in Fiji.
Immigration
Reflecting on the UK government’s attempts to restrict international students’ visa requirements and bring down immigration figures, Kumar said immigration helps to counter Scotland’s ageing population.
She added that after Brexit, she spoke to NHS colleagues “who were making plans to go back to their home countries in Europe after staying here for about 15 to 20 years”.
“They were paying their taxes, they were keeping our NHS running, but we will be in a situation where it will impact universities in terms of finances. It’s already impacting our services.”
Israel-Gaza Conflict
According to Kumar, the UK has a responsibility to “listen to the plight of people who are in these horrific situations and show solidarity as we’ve done for Ukraine.”
She noted that the SNP were among the first to call for an immediate ceasefire, adding that the UK government’s response tells Palestinians that:
“Your deaths are OK, your children’s deaths are OK. It’s fine because Israel has a right to defend itself.”
listen to the plight of people who are in these horrific situations
“That is completely wrong and it makes me so furious when I hear that.”
A motion tabled by Kumar calling on Edinburgh City Council to recognise Palestinian statehood passed on Thursday, 28 June.
SNP Controversies
The SNP is under investigation by the Scottish Parliament after leaked Whatsapp messages suggested staff used stamps purchased with parliamentary funds for campaign materials.
Kumar said that while all politicians deserve scrutiny, “I get really, really annoyed about when it’s different for SNP and it’s different for every other party.”
She pointed to the Conservative government’s controversies surrounding the procurement of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) contracts during the pandemic.
On Peter Murrell – a former SNP Chief Executive and husband to Nicola Sturgeon – being charged with embezzling party finances, she said:
“[T]hese were party finances, these are members, funds that were misused.”
“This was something that, you know, is quite internal.”
Message to Students
Addressing students directly, Kumar said only “a strong SNP cohort of MPs” could hold a potential Labour government accountable.
“[The SNP] will achieve the things we need to not just to improve the lives of students, but the lives of all individuals under an SNP government than a Labour one.”
Image via the Scottish National Party
Read the full transcript: