On January 20, Kamala Harris, a woman of black and South Asian heritage, will be sworn in as vice president of the United States of America. Since Joe Biden and Ms Harris crossed the mark of 270 electoral college votes needed to win the US presidential election, this historic first has mostly been the subject of excitement in both America and around the world.
Ms Harris' ascent is a reminder of the remarkable social progress the US has made in a relatively short period of time in its history.
Women couldn't vote until 1920. The Civil Rights Act was only signed in 1964, the year Ms Harris was born. The Voting Rights Act was only signed in 1965. And Ms Harris was part of a race-integration school bussing programme as recently as 1970.
Her inauguration will, therefore, be a momentous occasion. And people are right to feel excited: after all, role models and representation are important. Her success won't just help shape attitudes of girls who look like Ms Harris, but of children from all races – including white children, millions of who will see that someone who doesn’t look like them can hold a position of power. The trickle-down effect will be significant.
US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris has broken the glass ceiling. But she doesn't deserve any more scrutiny than a normal politician does. AFP
During the election campaign trail, attacks against her from politicians and certain sections of the mainstream and social media were laced with sexist and racist tropes. President Donald Trump called her "nasty" and "a monster" – words he has used before to describe women who speak their minds. Mr Trump also mocked her Asian first name, when he said: "Kamala. Kamala. You know, if you don't pronounce her name exactly right, she gets very angry at you."
Women everywhere cheered Ms Harris when, during a televised debate with Mike Pence, she uttered the words: "Mr Vice President, I'm speaking." This was in response to Mr Pence's interruptions whenever Ms Harris was making a point.
The racial and gender stereotyping have not stopped even after the election. One of the UK’s leading newspapers, for instance, described in detail her make-up routine – the kind of coverage that serves to trivialise a woman's power by focusing on her looks, clothes and cosmetics. In a recent tweet, UK politician Lord Kilclooney described Ms Harris as "the Indian". This is a common tactic used to erase the individuality of women and people of colour.
Just as swift and scathing, meanwhile, have been criticisms from across the political spectrum of certain policy positions she holds, as a result of which she is being dismissed entirely by many. This is unfortunate.
To be clear, it is absolutely right to hold Ms Harris to account for those positions. Those who believe that she does not deserve any scrutiny just because of her background are wrong. But we need to separate the symbolic power of her candidacy from her own individuality both as a person and a politician.
Kamala Harris' track record as California's attorney general has attracted a fair amount of scrutiny. AFP
Some of her positions on criminal justice and foreign affairs are unpopular with many liberals, and have attracted anger and disappointment. Her track record as the attorney general of California has received plenty of attention, too. But like all other people, she has her flaws and is not perfect. It is wrong to assume otherwise; her election victory will not simply lead to an immediate course correction in America's chequered history on racial and gender-based justice or foreign policy.
Neither should we expect one person to provide reform the system. While we may hope that she will use her position to begin the process of dismantling systemic inequalities – and that her own background and journey will inform her actions – she is one person, not the messiah. If she does not live up to our very high hopes, that does not make her election a failure.
The most empowering thing to do – for those who believe that the status quo with regard to race relations and gender disparity needs shaking up – is to have a nuanced view of Ms Harris. We can and should celebrate the symbolic systemic breakthrough she has made, while also being able to understand that all individuals, including Ms Harris, are complex and imperfect. We can hold both these thoughts in our minds at the same time.
Kamala Harris, then San Francisco District Attorney, poses for a portrait on June 18, 2004. AP
San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris attends the 'Choose Or Lose Your Toys' event at the Obsolete Gallery on November 3, 2009 in Venice, California. Getty
US President Barack Obama greets California Attorney General Kamala Harris and Gavin Newsom, Lieutenant Governor of California, after arriving on Air Force One at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco on February 17, 2011. AFP
Attorney General Kamala Harris arrives at the 5th Annual Kidstock To Benefit One Voice Scholars Programme at Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills, California, on June 5, 2011. AFP
Actors Hilary Swank, Sean Penn and Attorney General of California Kamala Harris attend the Cinema For Peace event benefiting J/P Haitian Relief Organisation in Los Angeles held at Montage Hotel on January 14, 2012. AFP
Reverend Al Sharpton meets Kamala Harris for lunch at Sylvia's restaurant on February 21, 2019 in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. Getty
President-elect Joe Biden pumps his fist on stage with his vice-president elect Kamala Harris. AP Photo
Democratic vice presidential candidate Senator Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign stop in Detroit, Michigan on October 25, 2020. AFP
If we cannot, then we have to face the brutal truth that we are little different from those who view her exclusively through the lenses of racism or sexism or both.
At the same time, subjecting Ms Harris to less scrutiny because she is a woman of colour is as sexist and racist as subjecting her to more scrutiny because she is a woman of colour.
Genuine progress will have been made when noteworthy breakthroughs are no longer symbolic, and the disproportionate scrutiny of women and people of colour becomes a thing of the past. Ms Harris’ election is one more step – an important and welcome one – in that long journey.
Shelina Janmohamed is an author and a culture columnist for The National
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Name: Mamo Year it started: 2019 Founders: Imad Gharazeddine, Asim Janjua Based: Dubai, UAE Number of employees: 28 Sector: Financial services Investment: $9.5m Funding stage: Pre-Series A Investors: Global Ventures, GFC, 4DX Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, Olive Tree Capital, and prominent Silicon Valley investors.
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 640hp
Torque: 760nm
On sale: 2026
Price: Not announced yet
UAE SQUAD
UAE team
1. Chris Jones-Griffiths 2. Gio Fourie 3. Craig Nutt 4. Daniel Perry 5. Isaac Porter 6. Matt Mills 7. Hamish Anderson 8. Jaen Botes 9. Barry Dwyer 10. Luke Stevenson (captain) 11. Sean Carey 12. Andrew Powell 13. Saki Naisau 14. Thinus Steyn 15. Matt Richards
Replacements
16. Lukas Waddington 17. Murray Reason 18. Ahmed Moosa 19. Stephen Ferguson 20. Sean Stevens 21. Ed Armitage 22. Kini Natuna 23. Majid Al Balooshi
