Let us practise Mamdaniesque politics

Zohran Mamdani, rising as the first Muslim and South Asian mayor in the city of New York, created the biggest political upset in American history. He got elected mayor despite the hefty forces working against him. Toppling a political dynasty is never easy. It is not a mere head-to-head contest with politicians, rather a herculean battle against the wealthiest. What makes Mamdani so unique is that, despite the biggest bully in America - the president of the country — being against him, he ran a fearless campaign, one built on integrity, hope and public engagement. If you take away anything from his victory speech as mayor-elect, let it be, "Hope is alive."

What Zohran Mamdani displayed throughout the mayoral election race was nothing short of witnessing a prodigal genius. He had more backbone than any of the contenders and he flaunted it proudly. While the others were busy ingratiating to the Trump administration and the Israeli Zionists, he not only vocalised his support for the innocent Palestinians, aligning his policies with upholding international law, but also remained grounded in his vision for the city. When asked, during the mayoral race debates, what would be his first foreign visit as mayor, he emphasised on his focus being the Americans across the five boroughs whom he promises to alleviate from the crisis of exorbitant costs of living, thus, he would remain in New York. The other candidates unanimously and unsurprisingly relayed: their priority would be to visit Israel. The host jeered at Mamdani for his respectful response and pestered him about his thoughts on Israel's right to exist.

Zohran's campaign garnered international attention, not because of his identity, but because of the universality of his message, and sadly because of how radical it has gotten to disseminate such ideas. He talked about affordability for the residents of the city: free childcare, free public transit, rent freezing and raising taxes by 2 per cent on the billionaires of New York. On the point that was being raised over his inexperience for this monumental role, combined with accusations of his idealistic mindset, I have two things to say.

Concerning his experience, as an assemblyman in 2021, Zohran went on a 15-day hunger strike with taxi drivers and secured more than $450 million in transformative debt relief for these exploited workers. He also won $100 million in the state budget for increased subway service and a fare-free bus pilot. On the latter point, I ask, when did idealism become a thing of concern? If we are not allowed to hope for idealistically brave change, should we make peace with the institutional horrors because they are familiar? The status quo will prove less beneficial than aspiring for something more.

Let's get one thing clear, a mayor or any public official for that matter, is in place to manage taxpayer capital in a better way, to make sure that the public contribution translates into a good quality of life for all, for security of civil liberties and smooth running of the institutional machinery. Politics over the decades has been so warped and nepotistic that people become oblivious to the responsibilities of public leaders. The public instead starts revering politicians and government officials as all-powerful, divine-right-to-rule styled despots — understandably so. I strongly advocate that officials holding public office receive the respect that they deserve, absolutely, but people must be able to hold them to account when the moment calls for it. While the law allows for these accountability measures, the execution of those legal avenues is invisible and thus the collective perception ends up being botched due to such bias.

Getting back to my appeal for implementing Mamdaniesque politics, we observed the millions that were poured into this race to somehow overturn Zohran's evident climb towards victory. According to Zeteo, in the lead, we had Bloomberg with $13.3 million, then Gebbia with $3 million, the Lauder family with $2.5 million, Bill Ackman with $1.8 million and the Tisch family with $1 million. These mentions being the top five contributors in the long list of donors who tried to eclipse Mamdani's vision.

Mamdani's reliance, however, stayed at the grassroots, with help from volunteers and capitalising on social media to reach all citizens. He believed in bringing honesty and transparency to the people of New York, and that, precisely, is why his politics works. That kind of trust between a leader and his people can defeat any amount of money or influence. Mamdani has shown us through application and action that his approach is for the empowerment of the people, not the ones hoarding wealth and status.

The transition team he put together after winning the election is a benchmark of exemplary governance and shows where Mamdani's priorities lie. Grace Bonilla, Lina Khan, Maria Torres-Springer, Melanie Hartzog and Elana Leopold are all women of great command in their respective fields and their oeuvres remain outstanding. For instance, Lina Khan is still perceived as the most disdained former FTC chair today on Wall Street, because of her work in revitalising antitrust and enforcing consumer protections. She is unafraid to go after big corporations and to break their monopolies to produce ethical practices that benefit the consumer. Significant capital has been spent by lobbyists to disparage her mission, yet she has stayed laser focused, like Mamdani. Appointing officials like her should be priority for the leaders of a state that promise to deliver change.

Even if we are unable to put our hopes into a charismatic, eloquent and transparent leader like Zohran, we can still apply the lessons he has taught us by virtue of his campaign. We have the ability to value integrity, to question those in power and to remain unapologetically engaged with our country's institutional functioning. For many of us, the smallest act of resistance can be to simply keep hope alive.