Migration

Migration is what made us. If the discoveries in the prehistoric era about the origin of man and the eventual migration are correct, then no one can claim that their lineage is unique.

Migration has been part of history and population formation, as much as birth and ethnic ties. The most recent historical examples of what migration has brought about are the Americas and Australia. In North America it is an ongoing process. The British and the French in Canada must know their origins to migration.

The United States, though predominantly of direct European origin in the not too distant past, with a prevalence of British and Irish roots, has seen a transformation which is not centuries old. Nancy Pelosi, now Speaker of the House of Representatives, still boasts about her Italian origins. The US has also been facing waves of immigration of diluted Spanish-speaking South Americans. Hispanics are also another example of what migration brings about.

It's the same story in Australia. From a British penal colony, there is now a microcosm of former nationalities, or actual double nationalities.

Even Africa itself, which is nearer home, has seen its waves of migration. North Africa was populated by the Berbers, whose descendants now live in the mountains or in their own colonies, being driven there by the Arabs who migrated from the other countries. The only exception to this predominance seems to be the royal family of Morocco, which is of Berber origin, demonstrated by the natural colour of their hair and complexion.

We Maltese are no exception. Even in this small island, migration has formed and transformed the population. A comparison with the population in Gozo is enough to show that there has been inter-racial mixture in Malta which is not so prevalent in the sister island. Have a look at the surnames, which have become quite common and long established in Malta in a telephone book and compare the surnames in the Gozo lists, and soon it becomes apparent that there are more "exotic" surnames in Malta.

Mass migration, however, is always a problem. If in past centuries wars were about territory, and territories were for people, today without wars peoples are again on the move. Such roaming is not led by governments, as sometimes the impulse to migrate is fear of or deep dissatisfaction with the home government. The stories we hear about the boat people who flee from their misery in the hope of finding a new life, often risking their lives, is a human tragedy of gigantic proportions.

The Frattini remedy

At a meeting of EU-African Foreign and Home Affairs Ministers held in Tripoli last week, EU Commissioner Franco Frattini proposed to the African states that Europe would start a scheme offering legal job opportunities, but on the other hand the African states must take back without any problems or formalities all those who would be found to be illegally in Europe.

At the same time, legislation would be in place to punish employers of illegal immigrants, as these employers are part of the problem. Frattini was reported as saying that employers in Europe are a magnet for illegal immigrants. He made another proposal that there should be "migration profiles" to provide enough information to tackle the problems.

When I read all this I smiled a déjà vu smile. The proposal was typical of an Italian politician, as Frattini is. We have experience, gained mainly from watching the news on Italian television, of how a minister manages a crisis in our neighbouring country.

The whole concept is bound to fail. Illegal immigrants are not going to seek the EU employment bureau, when they know that their opportunity would be that of seasonal employment, to fit the needs of some European country. It is a known fact that the hard work on farms in Italy is given to illegal immigrants, who find seasonal work, and then, for the rest of the year, wait for some other job opportunity until a new season comes.

Legislation (then without enforcement) is another platitude. Italian TV carries stories about caporalato practices, where gang leaders of illegal immigrants hold sway in the town, known to one and all, and nothing is done. That is also happening in Malta. Illegal immigrants work even on projects contracted out by the government. They give a better return to the contractor. I have seen them while the gents' bathroom in the courts was being retiled. The culprit is always the illegal immigrant.

Then the idea to have a barter of giving some opportunities, needed in Europe, for accepting back illegal immigrants, is another pie in the sky. How is it going to be organised? "Send me the slaves, and those I do not want, I send them back"? A recent documentary about the slave trade showed that it was organised by the governments of their countries.

Barriers

Still, the EU is putting up barriers to agricultural products from Africa. It has to protect the rich farmers of Germany and France. Africa can produce and sell, with benefits to consumers. This would be the first incentive for work in Africa itself.

No, we want to exploit the seasonal work of Africans, because this is the meaning of the Frattini proposal. The "profile" is another way of creating commissions and consultations, which produce paper reports. When is there going to be a real attempt to help Africans stay in Africa, and earn a decent living there?