I am proud to be able to contribute to this debate this afternoon. Proud because as someone who came to this country as an immigrant seeking opportunity and a home, I know how far this country has come. Proud because the country I now inhabit is so different in its attitudes to the one I arrived at. Proud because I have had the opportunity to serve in this Welsh Parliament.

Deputy Presiding Officer, I come from Kashmir, Indian-held Kashmir, which was sold in 1846 by the British East India Company for 7.5 million Nanakshahi rupees, which is equivalent to £75,000, as a part of the Treaty of Amritsar. Into the bargain went the territory and its people, and their rate was fixed at two rupees, 1p per head, besides other annual bindings on Gulab Singh. There were other bindings here too. My ancestors were, in effect, sold by the British into slavery, which still continues. The experiences shared and passed down by family members sit heavy in my heart. It makes me think about the world around us, how we treat each other, how we celebrate diversity and promote inclusion, and how we promote opportunity for all.

There are many people who arrive in the UK with similar stories, people whose ancestors came here for a better life. We have become an island of different cultures, people who have settled here contributing to our Welsh and British way of life. This is something to celebrate and not to fear. I was fortunate. I had a skill and was afforded the opportunity to succeed, to train as a doctor and pursue a working life as a consultant surgeon here in the NHS. In fact, we have a lot to thank our immigrant communities for, without whom we would have a much bigger staffing crisis in the NHS.

The motion today talks of equality. I am not convinced that we understand what equality means for people of colour, and how equality is achieved. To me, equality is about opportunities. The more we can offer people from diverse backgrounds the chances to succeed in life, the more the challenges and consequences of inequality will be addressed. It is also about promoting knowledge and mutual understanding between different racial groups, advancing education, and raising awareness about different racial groups to promote good relations, working towards the elimination of discrimination on the grounds of race, and promoting the values of cultural inclusivity and integration.

I also believe that we need to empower people. We should seek to develop the capacity and skills of the members of the minority ethnic and religious communities in such a way that they are better able to identify and help meet their needs, and to participate more fully in society. It is all too easy for those in authority to take a paternalist approach, to assume that people from minority ethnic groups need things done for them, whilst the best intention, can lead to people being disempowered. We need to find ways to empower people through education and opportunity, and I look forward to hearing from the Minister as to how this will be achieved. Thank you very much.