Scotland’s decision to remain within the United Kingdom reflects the pragmatism of its people who chose economic stability over pseudo-nationalist sentiments. They also saw through the vested interests of separatist leaders. There is a lesson here for secessionists the world over, including in India
Separatist movements, no matter where in the world, are usually propelled by local politics and the quest for power. The real issues and the people’s needs are often overlooked for short term political gain. Most don’t even have a viable plan for what they would do in the the future if they actually got their ‘independence’.
The recent Scotland referendum was quite similar. One part of the older generation of Scots, along with a small part of the youth, gave it their all for the ‘Yes’ campaign. Be it by a very small margin, but they still lost. Scotland voted to stay within the United Kingdom, and rightly so.
The main reason for the loss was that not a single leader of the ‘Yes’ campaign laid out a clear plan as to what the future of an independent Scotland would be. Most importantly, there was no clarity on how the leaders would revive the slowing economy.
Banking on Scotland’s geographical claim to more than 90 per cent of Britain’s North Sea oil fields and about half its natural gas resources, Mr Alex Salmond, head of the ruling Scottish Nationalist Party and then Scottish First Minister (he has since resigned), said that those offshore riches would help finance Scotland’s return to independence, even though many experts argue that the North Sea’s best days are over.
Also Mr Salmond simply ignored the fact that the cost of independence would also have included taking over Scotland’s share of the UK’s hefty national debt. This would clearly have overwhelmed the finances of a small, new country.
Outside of this, the best plan for economic development that the ‘Yes’ campaigm could come up with was joining the European Union. But with the Eurozone still recovering from a terrible period, how it would have handled the burden of taking on another slowing economy was unclear.
Mostly, the ‘Yes’ campaigners played on emotion and pride with short term commitments and goals. Thankfully, the majority of Scots saw through this. Every region has problems and is unhappy with the central Government for one issue or the other.
Eventually, the question of national identity is always played up, like it was here too. Indeed, this was an extremely emotional campaign and there were excellent arguments from both sides. But as important as national identity is, the real question the separatists should have asked themselves is: Are we better apart or better togetherIJ The key issue must not be identity but effectiveness.
No one wants the currency, economy and stock markets to be the final deciders of national viability, but unfortunately in this day and age these factors can’t be ignored. The way forward is making your voice heard and rallying the people to resolve local issues within the current system of governance. Asking for a separate country is never a solution. In the UK, in Europe, in India or anywhere in the world, we will always be better together, not better apart.
India has had its fair share of separatist movements, such as the Dravida Nadu movement in the South from the 1940s to the 1960s, the Khalistan movement in Punjab from the 1970s to the 1990s, the movements in the North East led by factions like the Nagalim, the United liberation Front of Asom, the National liberation Front of Tripura. The separatist movement in Kashmir continues till today.
None of these cases is the same as the Scottish case and one can’t draw comparisons but the fact that they are motivated in large part because of short term political benefit is common. The day such leaders start looking at the bigger picture, and talk of unity rather than partition, is the day the affected region and the entire nation together will start its journey on the road to recovery. Real strength lies in unity.
(The author is foreign affairs editor of The Daily Milap, India’s oldest Urdu daily)