Blunkett justifies move on English for refugees

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON, AUG. 20. A controversial move to make it compulsory for immigrants to learn English has been denounced as ``linguistic colonialism'' by civil rights groups but the Home Secretary, Mr. David Blunkett says it would improve race relations and make it easier for such people to find jobs. It is not clear whether this would apply to all immigrants or only those seeking British citizenship.

There was concern that even short-term refugees might be put through the drill in a bid to curb the wave of asylum seekers. The move, which has been attacked even by some Labour MPs, is reported to be a part of a package of proposals on immigration, asylum and citizenship to be presented at the Labour Party's annual conference in Brighton next month. Feelings on these issues are running so high in the wake of recent race riots and attacks on asylum seekers that a row has erupted while the proposal is still at the drawingboard stage. Even those who believe that it is a sensible idea which, in the long run, would benefit immigrants feel that the timing is wrong. ``In the prevailing climate it is bound to be seen as yet another racially coded measure,'' one commentator said.

There was disquiet within Labour's own ranks where opposition is said to be brewing over the way asylum seekers are treated. Mr. Claude Moraes, a Labour Member of European Parliament (MEP) and a former director of the Joint Council for Welfare of Immigrants, said the move was a ``throwback'' to the racist rhetoric of the ``Sixties and Seventies''. He said it was ``misleading'' to emphasise the importance of knowing English in the context of job prospects. ``This is not the major obstruction to entering the labour market. Race discrimination is,'' he said suggesting that Mr. Blunkett was barking up the wrong tree. Mr. Habib Rahman, chief executive of the Council called it ``linguistic colonialism'' saying it would be ``very damaging to race relations.''

The suggestion first came from a Labour MP, Ms. Ann Cryer, whose constituency has a large Pakistani and Bangladeshi community suffering from what she called ``massive underachievement''. She was particularly concerned that many of the new arrivals who came as a result of arranged marriages did not know English which made it difficult for them to integrate with local communities. Her remarks were greeted with howls of protest, and Labour quickly distanced itself saying these were her personal views. Ms. Cryer told this paper that she had not discussed the issue with the party but felt strongly that it was in the interest of race relations that non-English immigrants irrespective of where they came from acquired a minimum level of proficiency in English.

On Saturday, Mr. Blunkett himself waded into the controversy in what was seen as an endorsement of the idea. A Home Office statement, while making clear that there was no such move ``at this stage'', said the Home Secretary did want to start a debate on the ``important and central part an understanding of English plays in developing good community and race relations and the chances of obtaining both education and employment.'' A Downing Street spokesperson has been quoted as saying that all that is being done is to look at ``how we make it easier for people to learn English.'' Others, however, believe that there is a lot more to it than that.

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Section  : International
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