'Be gracious, relinquish UNSC seat for India': Ex-Singapore diplomat to UK

Former Singapore diplomat Kishore Mahbubani has suggested that the United Kingdom (UK) should relinquish its permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to India. He highlighted significant global shifts, particularly the rising economic power of China and India, and stressed that the UK's historical role on the global stage no longer aligns with current realities.

"The scale of structural shifts we are witnessing today is possibly the greatest in 2,000 years of history. In the case of India and China, the shifts have been profound. In 1980, the combined GNP of the European Union was 10 times bigger than China. Today, the EU and China are about the same size, and by 2050, the EU will be half the size of China. That is a major structural shift," Mahbubani said during a panel discussion on geopolitical shifts in Singapore. 

He further stressed India's rising power, comparing it to the UK. "In the year 2000, the British economy was close to four times bigger than India's. Today, India is bigger than the UK, and by 2050, India will be four times bigger than the UK," the former diplomat said. He described this shift as significant enough to warrant a change in the structure of global power.

Mahbubani, who served as Singapore's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, then called for the UK to graciously step aside and allow India to take its permanent seat in the UNSC. "The British should be gracious about it. They ruled India for 200 years, and the least they can do is repay India by giving up their permanent seat," he said, expressing surprise that the suggestion had not garnered more attention in India.

The foreign policy expert pointed out that the founders of the UN intended the veto power in the UNSC to be held by the great powers of the time, not those of the past. He added that the UK had not used its veto power for over 40-50 years due to the growing global perception that its seat was no longer justifiable. 

"The British are acutely aware that their seat is hard to justify, which is why they haven't used their veto for over 40-50 years. They dare not use their veto. The minute they use their veto, people will ask, 'Who are you?'" Mahbubani stated.