Bruxelles, november 14th 2007

A few days ago, an article published on “L’Espressso”
properly criticized the enormous expenditures of
public funds that all regions in Italy are doing with
the only aim to open up prestigious representation
headquarters abroad, sacrifying on the basis of an
image return – to be verified – all the needs and
expectations of their emigrated communities.

The article mentioned the irrational expenses, from
the 12.776.000 euros of Tuscany to the 2 millions of
Apulia, to the 9 millions of Piedmont, funds which if
used towards emigration, they would have contributed
to solve more than a problem.

Sicily was not an exception in the article, which
mentioned the scandal (true shame) of “Casa Sicilia”.
Even blaming, and without regrets, in its core the
activities of Toto’ “Vasa VAsa”, we have to remind
you, in reference to the house of Sicily (casa
sicilia), that the Sicilian Region, differently than
other regions, would have the right to open its casa
sicila abroad as proper and real embassies, as its own
constitution, born on the 15th of May 1946, two years
beofre the one of the Italian Republic, entitles
Sicily to a special statute of autonomy and the
quality of a confederate state of Italy, therefore the
possibility to open up embassies in all european and
entire world capitals.

Unfortunately sicilian “politicians” do not see
further than its own electoral ward.

To think about them as people who are familiar with
globalization, foreign languages, the needs of the
markets, the international relations, the right
importance of sicilian quality agriculture, and the
branded wine makers of the island, would be just like
winning a lottery!

To think about them leaving their provincial and
insular views, to embrace people’s issues, is a
foolish hope.

Referring to Globalization currently happening in all
aspects related to knowledge, poducts, and social, if
they truly believed in the need to finally become a
Nation, they would have started studying and maybe
learnt about geopolitics, the dependence of events and
phenomenons. But they have never succeded,
unfortunately, in understanding the real
potentialities of our Land, and give it the right
importance.

Cooperation, Craftsmanship, Commerce and Fishing could
have become extremely useful Ministeries and thanks to
a real president and not to the “vasa vasa” on duty,
like in the current situation, they would have been
able to start the right actions for the future and for
the development of our Island.

The decision to open up a “Casa Sicilia” abroad, even
if in line with a regional law of 2002, at the end is
taken and fully copied from one of our proposals which
in addition would consider people and not puppets made
available to the region, and it would have given back
importance to a Sicily wich today is regularly made
ridicule by a number of sad carachters.

Then we would have been able to really organize those
embassies that our Sicily really needs and not to
offer opportunities, as many times happens, and
advantages to real criminal associations, mirror of
all those useless agencies which in Sicily spread
around like mushrooms.

These miserable representatives have no regrets to
accumulate debts for millions of euros opening and
closing crumbling embassies with the only aim to
satisfy friends, relatives and to help some
politicians and some girlfriends/lovers whom they have
met in some international “working” trip.

So much improvisation with relative waste of public
funds which, if used defferently, would have surely
solved some of the many problems of our Diaspora
communities abroad.

We talk baout prblems of older people, the young ones,
unemployement, home returns, sicilian language, needs
of literacy, professional training, school courses
integrated to the local counrty systems, dail meeting
centres, families advisory places, houses for elder
people, advisory centres for drug dependencies and
other pathologies, etc……..

There would be so much to be done, President “Vasa
Vasa”, very skilled in making promises but without the
commitment to keep such promises. Same as your
collegues, you should be finally sent back home for
being incompetent, for lack of transparency, and more
simply because your time has come up to an end.

Sicily has needs which are not seen by the current
political class, distracted by the touristic trips and
by the opening and closures of “Casa Sicilia”, but
Sicily can count on its best sons and daughters, who
do not accept compromises, do not beg for their job as
a matter of favour, but they claim it as a right
denied, those ones who do not que at the political
parties headquarters or at the electoral offices of
the “vasa vasa” on duty, but those who are capable to
prepare their luggage, not made of carboard any
longer, but still a luggage unfortunately, and go in
search of job opportunities and better living away
from their own land, mirages and magics wich a Mother
“stepmother” still cannnot offer them.

Francesco Paolo Catania

Tradotto dall’italiano da Massimiliano Di Domenico