Indians in South Africa

THE Government of India has not seen fit to comply with the request of the Indian residents in South Africa for postponing the departure of its deputation to that country, but has instead issued a communique explaining its position in the matter. The main ground taken up in this communique is that the information which the deputation is charged to collect is urgently required to help it in making out its case with regard to the proposed legislation in South Africa which will come up for consideration in the South African Parliament early in the new year. And it is evident that if the investigation had been deferred, no time would have been left for its execution before the Union Government proceeded with the legislation, and the Government of India would consequently have been seriously handicapped in making necessary representations in regard to that legislation. Our first comment in regard to his contention is that it is scarcely believable that the South African Indians did not take so obvious an aspect of the matter into consideration in making the request. If nevertheless they thought that the deputation would serve no useful purpose and that its departure should be postponed until after the arrival of their own deputation in India, it was the clear duty of the Government of India to have respected that opinion. The most important thing to be borne in mind in this connection is that the South African Indians know as much about this matter as the Government of India can claim to do and know something more besides, and that they are undoubtedly the best judges of what is or is not good for them.