Deva Kumarasiri has paid a heavy price for his patriotism. The Sri-Lankan-born postmaster has been forced to leave his job for refusing to serve customers who couldn't speak decent English. His stance, he said, was partly a matter of principle. Mr Kumarasiri is passionate about his adopted country: he moved to Britain 18 years ago, has taken citizenship, taught his children the words of the National Anthem, and flies the Union flag in his front garden in Nottingham. "It's about making the effort to be part of the community where you have decided to live," he said.
It was also a practical issue – he didn't want the queue grinding to a halt while each customer tried to make themselves understood.
Mr Kumarasiri, who is a Liberal Democrat councillor, feels it is his duty to say these things because the white, native-born Brits no longer dare. This, alas, is perfectly true. Living in east London, I often come across council officials or health workers whose English is so shaky, or so thickly accented, that it is impossible to have a meaningful conversation. But I am far too anxious not to seem rude, let alone racist, ever to complain.
When my son was born, we were visited a few times by a health visitor who spoke at length, in a kind of Bantu-cockney dialect impenetrable to all but the professional linguist, about how to avoid cot death. I nodded in what I hoped were the right places, then looked it up in a book. I have given up trying to get an appointment at the local GPs' clinic because it is too embarrassing trying to make myself understood – repeatedly mouthing my request into the telephone as if it were an elderly dowager's ear trumpet.
It's not just a question of inconvenience; in some jobs, the inability to communicate effectively can be fatal. When my sister gave birth recently, she was attended by a midwife who could not speak English. My sister tried in vain to explain that she had been in labour for four days; that her waters had long since broken; that she knew something was wrong.
The midwife wrote some incomprehensible notes, and failed to pass on any of the relevant information. Both my sister and her baby almost died. Even then, no one was rude enough to complain.
What a crime! Deva should be reinstated immediately & should be gien a promotion too for doing the right thing by the British Govt. It is a pity that the gutless Brits does not realize the value of this man.
Ranjith Ranachandra
on March 22, 2009
at 11:09 AM
Typical of the dire state England is in. A man is fired for being English.
Mr Kumarasiri should be knighted and made prime minister.
Bob Landy
on March 22, 2009
at 09:16 AM
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Live here learn the language. It should be law. Good for Deva. However it's too late. Britain is finished. It's now Britainistan. With an army of race lawyers at the ready. I'm not afraid to say so.
Len
on March 22, 2009
at 09:15 AM
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Three cheers for Mr Kumarasiri - he should be given an MBE for services to the long-suffering native population of these islands.
It should go without saying that any immigrant intending to live and work in this country should learn English. Unfortunately, the multicultural and racism "profession" much prefer to keep people dependent on them for support so they have a vested interest in providing translation services and encouraging people to continue using their various native languages.
This has been a major contributor to the breakdown in social cohesion and costs the country an absolute fortune in providing linguistic services; in supporting women who cannot function within our society apart from the difficulties expressed in the article about people working whose ability to speak clear English is poor.
It is a dreadful indictment on successive Governments - particularly Labour since 1997 they have not insisted that the flood of immigrants they allowed into the country should all speak English.
Hopefully the Tories will 'see the light' and tell the multicultural/immigration industry that the largesse is about to end: we are stopping the translation services and bending over backwards to communicate with people who can't be bothered to learn English. If immigrants cannot communicate in English, they shouldn't come.
Boudicca
on March 22, 2009
at 09:14 AM
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Kumaraswami's comments were racially sidelined.If Kumaran lives in a non-english speaking counntry how would he speak.Even Jade Goody had commented that Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty did not know to speak English.
Rose
on March 22, 2009
at 09:14 AM
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Deva Kumarasiri should be made Prime Minister. If only our Government showed this sort of appreciation for our Country, we might not be in this mess.
Jane S
on March 22, 2009
at 09:14 AM
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Thank goodness someone has now had the courage to speak out about this issue. It's outrageous that Mr Kumarasiri has been forced to resign over taking the stance that he did - he is the kind of immigrant that country needs, rather than the all-too-common type that doesn't have the manners to learn anything about the country they have chosen to grace with their presence, let alone the language. I suppose they really haven't got to bother when the authorities are so keen to provide translations of all the benefit forms, and interpreters for everything else.
Jane Roberts
on March 22, 2009
at 09:13 AM
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We need to teach spoken English to all including the English.The French protect French .We should protect English, and be unembarrassed about it. It isn't just in person either.One makes phone calls to these days overseas call centres.After a bit one gives up ,but the call has cost money.
No one should be employed in the UK if they cannot communicate in English.
Well said Mr K. A proper stroppy British eccentric.
Birch
on March 22, 2009
at 09:12 AM
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This is the lamentable state of our country where most immigrants have no interest in learning English or even learning the job that they're doing. It's simply a better life here.
smudge-r
on March 22, 2009
at 09:11 AM
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In the USSR dissidents weer denied employment.
kevin atkinson
on March 21, 2009
at 07:08 PM
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