The former student leader who is now a Labour MSP, comments on reports that the Scottish Parliament's pension fund invests in companies that have interests in Zimbabwe.
Why is there a problem with companies investing in Zimbabwe?Until the political situation there is resolved, it's not in any way desirable for companies to be funding the sort of investments which are supporting Robert Mugabe's r
egime. We also, however, have to wait and see what happens, if there are to be successful talks between the MDC and Zanu-PF, then we will have to assess the situation then.
What would you like the Scottish Parliament to do?I would hope that the Scottish Parliament pension scheme would prioritise ethical investments. There should be a reassurance that they have an ethical shape to their investments.
What message do you think this sends out about the attitude of the Scottish Parliament?This is important for the reputation of the parliament. Obviously, things like MSPs' pensions are going to be subject to scrutiny, so it's very important that these project the right message, and that means ethical considerations should be taken into account.
What do you want to happen now?I think there needs to be discussions about it. At the moment, we are making decisions on legislation affecting the MSPs' pensions and their future operation, and this would seem to me to be a right time to look at the investments too.
What influence can individual decisions like this have on big companies investing in Zimbabwe?You would hope they do have some impact. These pension funds control huge sums of money, and economic pressure can make a difference. It's important to encourage companies to make ethical decisions. You would hope that, in other countries where there are problems of governance and where there are ethical issues at stake, you can make a difference.
The full article contains 316 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
