We need to reach across the divide
When reading last week’s Sunday Mail,
I’d no idea I’d be in this week’s edition outlining why I want to be your next First Minister.
Most readers will know me as the Health Secretary, or Humza the politician, but first and foremost I am Humza, a father and husband, a son, and a brother.
Like most other people, my family is my everything to me, I am devoted to them, they are my world.
Even with a job as intensely busy as Health Secretary, I ensure I try to make time for my wife and kids - not enough I suspect - but I don’t want life to pass me by full of regret for not spending enough time with them.
That is why I have thought hard about my decision, being
First Minister is a relentless job, but a rewarding one too.
The reason I am putting myself forward is so I can transform the lives of those who need it the most.
My promise to you is that if I am our country’s next First Minister, I will lead a government that will work in everyone’s interests, focussed on the issues that matter the most to you.
The UK Government’s recent economic vandalism means we have people in Scotland who are energy poor, even though we as a nation are energy rich.
There are measures we can take as a devolved government, and that is why we have found £3bn to try and mitigate some of the worst impacts of Tory austerity.
However, the reality of a fixed budget means that we have to take the money from elsewhere.
That is why I believe with every fibre of my being that independence is needed now, more than ever before.
I don’t believe in independence for its own sake, I believe in it as a means to a much fairer Scotland. That is why as First Minister I will engage with all of Scotland, including those who voted No in 2014, so we take the journey towards independence together.
I have been in Government for over 10 years, and held some of the toughest briefs.
The reason Scotland is the only nation in the UK to avert NHS strike action is not by chance, it comes down to the relationships I have managed to build with our trade union partners.
I believe these skills are needed now more than ever before. In a time where our discourse can be so polarised, we need someone who can reach across the divide, bring people together and heal divisions where necessary, and this will be my priority, for both party and country
People often present a conflict between pursuing social progress and pursuing economic progress: it is my belief that the two go hand in hand.
If we can lift people out of poverty, if we are ambitious in tackling the climate emergency, if we can ensure everyone is paid fairly our economy will thrive.
When my grandparents first arrived in this country in the 60s, they could not imagine, in their wildest dreams, their grandson would one day be in the running for First Minister.
I think we should be proud as a nation that we can have a person of colour stand for First Minister and the questions I will face will be about my policies, not my race.
I can promise you, win or lose, I will always be driven by serving you, the Scottish people.
We need someone who can bring people together