To migrate or not
by Taibunessa Wahab
Some time ago, I came across a Facebook photo of an expatriate family celebrating the successful citizenship interview of a junior member, while looking forward to the oath-taking ceremony. I happen to know that family, they are not getting away from incessant war or poverty back home. And most of them have advanced degrees from home and abroad, which should be the crowning glory in anyones life. So, why so much pride in becoming the citizen of a far-flung country? And why promise allegiance to a state thats not your birthplace?
I can understand people running off to escape mortar fires and worse. Though, I sometimes dont agree with them _ someone should stay home and fight to stop the war. Let the elderly and children go, by all means, and even then, dont risk your childrens lives on dubious getaway schemes. Moreover, all able-bodied people stay back and defeat the enemies within, with outside help, if necessary, like we did. And win the war that makes refugees out of hapless, decent folks!
Then there are those migrants from mostly low-income families paying high sums for dream jobs abroad. A few months ago, a bunch of Bangladeshis rescued from sea admitted they had paid 1-2 lakh taka each for the privilege of a rickety boat ride to promised lands on the other side of the Bay of Bengal. My question is, if someone can manage Tk 1-2 lakh, why not invest the money in small enterprises at home? Perhaps, returns wont be large, but you save yourself a risky boat trip and possible death, or detention in stingy conditions when caught.
The grass may not always be greener on the other side. So, why not stay put and nurture your own backyard and turn it into the greenest in the world?
Or, heres an idea_ why not book a cruise to East Asia for just Tk 75,000, as advertised, and then jump ship at the first port of call! Not only do you pay less, you get a luxury trip, too, though the package doesnt come with job offers.
Now, coming back to the well-educated from respected families. Why do they go for it? Is ones own country so bad that you have to abandon it? Could it be reported studies like Its the worst city to live in, The traffic is a never-ending nightmare; or thoughts such as I am over-qualified here, I am not getting paid enough that motivate you? So you swap a decent job, a comfortable home life _ with domestic helpers and a driver, and free baby-sitting from ever willing relatives _ for below-par employment, or unemployment altogether, in a foreign land? And no matter what you do, you will always be called an immigrant, and more likely than not, treated as a second-class citizen. But you will get to drink water straight from the tap and clean your own house, and if you are lucky, drive yourself to work without horrendous jams, right?
And good for you on becoming doctors or engineers or teachers and serving other people with your skills. Or, perhaps you were those things at home and now drive a cab or mind babies _ its still serving others. But remember, your schooling was mostly paid for by our poor taxpayers and your overseas studies funded by foreign currencies earned through the drudgery of our poor migrant workers.
Then there are the ones who do it just for fun: to see the world. I once ran into a fellow university graduate selling flowers outside a metro station in Paris. At first, he pretended he couldnt speak Bangla. When I insisted I had seen him on campus before, he relented and told me his story. Somehow, he had managed to get a pass to the Barcelona Olympics (this was the 90s) and decided to stay behind and work his way across Europe. Fair enough. Thats what many Western graduates do, too. I have always wondered where he ended up. We didnt have mobile numbers or e-mail addresses to swap in those days!
When I returned home after finishing my studies abroad, many relatives were surprised that I had not attempted to stay behind. It almost seemed a crime to have not applied for citizen of that particular European country!
Well, I got a job I love, my own proverbial gari and bari (car and house) _ all paid for by the age of 33. I have a cook, a maid and a driver. All these, my well-born Western classmates can only dream of, as most are still paying off long-term mortgages or various loans two decades on. To them, I live like a princess. So true!
Many well-to-do Bangladeshi families think its a given to have all the children living abroad. It may even be considered a failure on the parents part if the kids are not settled in one of the G8 nations.
So the question arises, if we all leave home, who is going to make things better?
Is everyones dream to work and die as the citizen of another country? Me, I like the vibrant green colour of our passport too much. And I could never salute a flag that didnt have a red circle on a bed of green.
A visiting foreign friend once asked me why would someone choose to live here.
Because its my country, and it is beautiful, I replied. If someone ever ordered me to leave this place, I could defend, to my dying breath, my right to live here, I continued. Its my heaven-given birthright. Besides, my dad and my uncles did fight to create this new country for me.
The same cant be said of refugees or migrants around the world. Just ask our Indian friends who were forced to leave Uganda and Kenya, or the Palestinians without any country.
She didnt say a word after that.
My only prayer is the last two lines of the last but one stanza of DL Roys heartfelt song: Amar ei deshetey jonmo, jeno ei deshetey mori.
The writer is a development consultant.
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