Saturday, May 06, 2006

Overses Italians: A Boulder, NOT a Pebble in Pond, Says Italian Ambassador to Canada in Interview

The ANNOTICO Report

 

Italy's Ambassador to Canada Gabriele Sardo, besides the usual improving Italy and Canada relations, and promoting economic, social, and technological potential comments, addresses some interesting specific issues:

 

(1) THE OVERSEAS ITALIAN VOTE.  This Overseas Italian Vote was not given much consideration by most members of the Italian Parliament regarding it's ramifications, prior to it's approval.

 

Purpose: This proposal was promoted by Mirko Tremaglia of the Berlusconi government who thought that the Overseas Italians would be more favorable to the Berlusconi government, especially with the frequent visits by Tremaglia.

 

Boulder Not Pebble: It was of course a disappointment for Berlusconi, but even more so, because the Overseas Italian vote was the measure of Victory/Defeat, it brought forcibly to the attention of the Entire Italian Political spectrum, that while this was not exactly an 800 lb Gorilla in the room, it was at least as Ambassador Sardo describes it, a BOULDER in the Pond, NOT a Pebble.

 

Stronger Ties:The Unintended Beneficial Consequences are that it may force Italy to take a greater interest in the Overseas Italian, who while feeling still strong ties to Italy, were formerly treated similar to previous Italian Immigrants, as "abandoning" the mother country, and therefore with disdain.

 

A Turnabout: Will the Parliament now more carefully scrutinize the Overseas Vote, and perhaps revoke it???

 

More Citizenships Granted: On the other hand, will discussions be held in Parliament as to whether to make Citizenship to Italy easier to obtain, and therefore make the Overseas Italian even more important to Italy, and the need to forge stronger bonds to them. Many other countries have the more liberal requirements. There has been more of that tendency since  the US permitted greater dual citizenship.

 

Italian Citizens AND Italian Ancestry: The question will come up as to Italy's greater connection to Not only to those with Italian Citizenship, but those who feel strongly about  their Ancestral home, often several generations removed.

 

Role Of Representatives of Overseas Italians in Rome: Do those Elected as Overseas Italians represent. Only the Italian Citizens Overseas, or also those of Italian Ancestry!!!! What is their Agenda.

 

2) ITALY AND CANADA.Sardo feels that Italy sees a closer bond between the US-Canada, and Britain- Canada  than exists, and that the immense number of Canadians of Italian Heritage can easily build a formidable economic and cultural bond.  





THE INTERVIEW

Italians voting abroad: risks and potential
Italy's Ambassador to Canada Gabriele Sardo on the Italian election

 

Tandem Magazine
By Angelo Persichilli

May 7,2006 - May 14,2006

..[The new Ambassador of Italy to Canada, Gabriele Sardo, stated a "great desire to improve  Italian-Canadian relations, and exploit the huge economic, human, social, and technological potential. ]


[The Ambassador first addressed ] last month's historic event, where Italians living abroad cast their ballots, in the first general election in Italy, which turned out decisive in determining the winning coalition.]

The senior diplomat acknowledged the potential disclosed by this event, as well as its risks. "What was supposed to be a pebble has become a boulder thrown into a pond, making a big splash indeed. Let's try to understand the news; up to now, nobody has said anything."

Moreover, whom do the new members of Parliament represent?

Sardo also spoke of Italian-Canadian relations; "Something that surprised me is a certain distance from Europe and Italy that I perceived going around." This is due to the fact that - according to Ambassador Sardo - Italians overestimate Canadian bonds with the United States, while at the same time Canadians overestimate their connection to their old British allegiance. Whatever the reason, Italy and Canada do not connect fully."


In the following long interview he drew the guidelines he intends to follow during his mandate in Canada in order to improve relations between these two countries, taking advantage of great economic, human and technological potential.


In his detailed interview, the ambassador also touched upon the main sectors where trade can increase, and the paramount role of culture and the creation of an Italian school. This first part of the interview deals with the recent election and examines its potential and risks, as well as the role of our representatives in Rome.

 

2

 

Ambassador Sardo: a month after the Italian general election, what do you think of this historic - at least for Italians abroad - event?
"This event was born out of noble and generous, yet somewhat old, reasons. It took a snapshot of Italian emigration without considering at the same time how real relations can be established. Is the State seriously interested in creating new tools for these relations, once established, to be fruitful? I don't think so. This was a very individual initiative; we all know that it came about due to the efforts of a minister of Alleanza Nazionale who was allowed to promote it, pursued it stubbornly, and ultimately had his way unopposed. Nobody really thought about the problem of how this would play out with today's realities. Now is the time to think about it."


Why?
"Because that idea came to fruition while the Italian national community was not paying attention. When the practical consequences hit home, Italians had a sudden awakening. No political party really studied how this innovation could be harmoniously integrated. We now risk - and this is something worth considering - to focus only on the most visible and occasional aspects, with Italian communities abroad cast - unwittingly and blamelessly - in the role of tie-breakers. This could generate a backlash of indifference that Italians abroad neither provoked nor wanted. Such things should be looked at in advance; this did not happen, and these are the results. What was supposed to be a pebble has become a boulder thrown into a pond, making a big splash indeed. Let's try to understand the news; up to now, nobody has said anything."


Where do we start?
"By asking how the specific traits of Italian communities abroad can be brought to bear in Italy, and vice versa. This has not been addressed yet, and this is the challenge we now face. We have to deal with the same communities as before, with a fraction - sometimes a tiny fraction - having cast their ballot. This happened because, as far as Canada is concerned, we have a community of Italian origin that far outnumbers Italian citizens entitled to vote by a ration of 12 to 1, even 13 to 1."

 

 

3

We wonder, whom will the newly elected MPs represent?
"We must consider that about 50,000 ballots were cast in Canada, enough to elect a representative in a geographically huge constituency. What relation will be established between this representative and the wider community he represents? Undoubtedly, it is a very complex question to examine. Some might say, 'I never elected him, why should he be entitled to speak for me?' I'm playing devil's advocate, of course. I would pay close attention to extract the positive aspect of being able to express oneself, to act as a spokesperson addressing Italy's national community. Care must be taken not to choose the wrong tone, as the other side merely perceived this as incidental, nothing more. There's a lot of work to do, identifying specific tasks and understanding that we are all on the same side. We managed to come closer to these communities of Italian origin, which followed their own path and can now be approached on an el! usive level because it cuts through society, culture, nostalgia, business, travels, children, tourism... In summary, our national community has expanded."


How can we proceed, then?
"Had I been elected, I would be wondering about what I, an Italian-Canadian, might do in the Italian Parliament, and what I might expect said Parliament to do, not pettily for those who elected me but for my country. These are, after all, Canadians. I also have to tackle the problem of benefits. These Italians cannot only be passport-bearers. They are increasingly Canadian and decreasingly Italian, but there is a wide range, as we've seen. We have to wonder what voting means for these people. This has yet to be established; it isn't clear and it never was. Until now, we simply took for granted that it had to be done, someone got busy and got it done, results were complex and numbers were surprising. Well, let's discount the surprise, and defuse the possibility of an about-face that someone in Italy might be tempted to do. There is a risk."

 

4.

What do you think?
"We'll wait and see, but one thing is for sure: lacking a voice that starts to talk from here to there - and I do not mean simply vote in Parliament for one or the other coalition, I mean proposing a specific point of view - this vote will probably become no more than some kind of exception. This would be very bad, especially for a country like Canada, with such a fresh relation with Italy. This relation is not mediated by fantasy or nostalgia. These people have maintained connections with Italy, and in the long run want to have a voice in Italy as Canadians. This is why this vote, regardless of the reasons for granting it and of its surprising effect, can lead to positive consequences and facilitate the discourse between these two societies, if people do not stop at legalistic aspects. These MPs do not represent only those who voted for them, but have to represent also the interests of the wider community, much more numerous. These people could not vo! te for legal coincidences, because they forgot to apply within the deadline or lost their citizenship for the passing of time, but they all are part of the grand picture. Without this kind of representation, the law will have missed its goal."


What should Italy do?
"Italy should take these opportunities to establish a presence. Italian presence in Canada must flourish, with the two societies looking at each other. This is the opportunity offered by this slightly disconcerting vote of Italians abroad."


Many people ask for the terms for reacquiring Italian citizenship to be reopened. Is this possible?
"The law is the same for everyone, but in this case it seems to me that the same phenomenon applies to very different situations. The problem is complex, with the same law being applied to all. I don't know whether this is the right way to deal with this. If I were an Italian-Canadian I would say that I'm not in the same position as an Italian-Argentine or as a member of the Istrian and Dalmatian community that recently got an exemption. I would give a Canadian slant to the issue, i.e. I would underscore the specific characteristics of Italians living in Canada. That way we would see whether Italy's politicians would understand this approach and reckon with the complexity of this issue. We cannot indiscriminately take in millions of people. We already have a rather indiscriminate law; let's now try to keep our feet on the ground."

 

5.

Yet, the request remains.
"Sure. These are very legitimate needs. There are mixed feelings playing out within those who left Italy, bringing small children with them or having them here, watching them grow up, watching themselves grow up in this different society. The trauma of leaving one's country cannot be easily forgotten, it is transmitted. Second- and third-generation people are in a different position, but the moment of arrival was no garden party. Even if now we can be proud, all this was born out of a trauma, and this should be kept in mind. I think that the request for compensation is humanly understandable and unavoidable.

 

What cannot always be justifiable is that someone would translate that to 'I had to leave, now give me everything back.' It would not be allowed nor appreciated by the governments of the countries where our communities live. I have not yet delved on the question of what the Canadian government might say, but if we were to explain that we intend to give Italian citizenship to a million Canadians, Ottawa could wonder what this would entail for their country; I find this perfectly obvious. This is a problem for the nations where Italians live as much as a problem for Italy. The important thing is not to deprive the communities of a voice. They have to make Rome understand why they are unlike the others. This difference is important."

 

 

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