The British are extremely finicky about being fair-minded. And one thing they do not like is queue-jumping. The British queue is a veritable institution — people wait patiently till their turn comes and god help someone who tries to cut into it and try and jump ahead.
That is why it is a bit surprising to hear of the decision of the British government to grant Shetty a work permit; it is one of the quickest ever permits issued to an Indian. Shetty’s visa that allowed her to work in the UK had expired when her show Celebrity Big Brother came to an end.
But during the show, Shetty turned from being a show-girl into a princess of sorts, if not a poster girl for British multiculturism. The allegedly racist attacks on her made her a martyr and a celebrity, to say nothing of rich.
A savvy PR manager has ensured that a lot of moolah will roll her way for giving interviews and appearing on television shows and in movies. But all that would not be
possible without a work permit — the law is quite strict about this- and the government has obliged.
The irony is that this alacrity comes at a time when 15,000 Indian doctors are fighting for their right to practice in the UK. They are among many more who had come to the country attracted by a high skills programme which has now been altered, with the result that their permits have been withdrawn. A UK court, though it dismissed the plea of the doctors, noted that the British government had failed to conduct a proper race impact assessment of the new visa rules.
The doctors, who now have to pack their bags and move elsewhere for their livelihood, have alleged it is nothing short of racism. But ethnic politicians, like Keith Vaz, the Labour MP who was instrumental in getting a fast-track clearance for Shetty’s permit, have not taken up their cause. Vaz is a consummate politician who may have seen in Shetty an good opportunity to please his huge Indian constituency.
No one would grudge Shetty her good fortune; she is a professional who needs to make a living. The government too is within its rights to give preferential treatment to anyone it wishes to. But it is difficult to escape the conclusion that rules, even in Britain, are quite flexible, especially if they serve a political purpose.
