Time to express our gratitude for welcome

ON the 50th anniversary of the Ugandan expulsions, the media is covering the story by interviewing the people who settled here in Britain.

Quite often the conversation turns to the experiences of those refugees as they made Britain their home.

The response is almost always the same. There was racism, there was name calling and bullying in the schools.

The media also brings up the advertisements placed in papers asking the refugees not to come to Leicester. I contend that this narrative does gross injustice to the British people who went out of their way to help us settle in this country.

I say “us” because though I was not from Uganda, tens of thousands of us from Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zimbabwe and other countries also came here as we faced a similar pressure to leave. Thousands also came from Aden.

Let us just look at Leicester. Tens of thousands of people from Uganda and other East African countries made the city their home.

Most adults who came had very few qualifications. The city and its industrial hub employed the refugees, the frail and elderly got medical care, the teachers gave special attention to the children, especially in subjects like English.

Volunteers from the English community came to teach English at home, they guided us in dealing with issues of everyday life.

A father-in-law of a relative of mine was completely disabled and could not speak either. He spent months in the hospital lovingly cared for by the nurses. When he passed away they came to the funeral and were shedding tears.

A friend of mine who passed away a few years ago had been ill with a serious disease and had been in and out of hospital many times. He said the NHS had probably spent as much as £100,000 on him.

People will remember there were a lot of people who had somehow come to the UK but had no right to stay and faced deportation.

In many cases, a petition would start with the help of the local MP and, in most cases, the individual would be granted a right to stay.

A friend of mine’s elderly mother was left alone in Kenya with no right to come here. The family asked me to write a letter to the immigration department saying I would be her sponsor and pay for her living costs.

To my great surprise, she was granted permission to come to the UK. This is thanks to the compassionate immgration officer whom we never met.

It is very easy to forget those who helped us when we were helpless. We must not do that and we must not be negative of people who have done so much for us.

After a few years, the Indian community ventured into business, mainly corner shops.

But how did they buy these businesses in the first place? In most cases, it was a sympathetic bank manager. He or she gave the loan without any collateral.

When I wanted to start my business, I needed a £500 overdraft facility. I went to see my English bank manager.

He said he was giving a loan on trust and hoped I would not let him down.

Those small corner shops were the linchpin for the enormous wealth that the Indian community has made in this country.

Buying a house is a top priority for our community. In the 1970s, it was next to impossible to get a mortgage on the wages that most people earned. However, there were now our people in insurance, life policies and mortgages. Do you remember how they used to come to our houses to sell an insurance policy!?

They got us mortgages from the Guardian and other companies only on the guarantee that the repayments will never fail to be paid.

On the cultural and religious front, the churches allowed us the use of their halls and we have practised our faith in this country without any obstacles whatsoever.

Today we have magnificent temples both in Leicester and all over the country.

Over the last 20 years, thousands of Gujaratis from Diu, Daman and Goa have settled in Leicester. Leicester is almost a Gujarati city! It now has its own Gaushala Shala-Cow Sanctuary!

The children of those refugees have exceeded in every field of life – so much that Rishi Sunak is knocking on the doors of 10 Downing Street!

Again, this is thanks to the great British public who have helped us flourish. Since the 1970s, the British Government has passed laws after laws to stamp out any discrimination.

A word of thanks here also to some of our leaders from the 1970s who championed our cause. At a time when people were unable to freely express themselves in English, people like Praful Patel dealt with the Government with great aplomb.

In conclusion, let me quote the then Prime Minister Ted Heath who said that, “Uganda’s loss is our gain”. You could not get a better welcome than that.

As we reminisce on the expulsions, let us acknowledge the great support the British people gave us when we were in desperate need.

Nitin Mehta, Leicester