Patronages discuss vote's effect

Professionals agree that community's youth is key to survival of Italian culture

Patronages are a strong and vital reality here in Canada and especially in Toronto, where most of the people they assist reside. Even here, as we found out when interviewing the representatives of the worlds of education, culture, and Comites, there are significant points of agreement despite different positions.
Two points, in particular, can be stressed. First of all, a widespread concern for the delicate responsibilities vested into the future MPs; second, an understanding of the fact that any new policy for Italians abroad will need to be addressed specifically towards the youth.
Of course, mature people need not be alarmed. The patronages will not forget them, and will continue to assist them, in spite of the many misunderstandings hampering relations with the boards back in Italy. If anything, the new law will give a stronger voice to the communities abroad, thus improving the chances of efficient assistance.
"We do not fancy this to be the solution to all our problems," begins Antonietta Condello, who's been co-ordinating Inca-Cgil for the last 37 years, "but as a matter of course the very existence of a political representation in Rome will allow our problems to be better tackled."
Can we read this as a positive opinion on the recent law?
"Voting is a right, and those who want to will now be able to exercise it. This is good. To tell you the truth, however, the most recent surveys display no great interest in voting. The people in Rome should get an update on the current reality of Italian communities abroad, in particular about the children of the immigrants, our youth. In many cases, they couldn't care less about Italy."
How should Rome act, then?
"I understand that they have many other things on their minds, but dialogue should be strengthened; in my opinion, that is the only way to achieve something positive. For instance, they could begin by addressing the great demand for the diffusion of Italian culture and scholastic tools."
What problems are most frequently brought to your patronage?
"The biggest problem concerns Canadian pensions paid in Italy, i.e. the pensions of people who worked in Canada for some years but then returned to Italy. Nobody mentions them, and yet those pensioners encounter the worst difficulties, having to deal with pervasive red tape. They keep writing to us; we get letters through our offices in Italy, but helping them is really difficult."
How do you explain this neglect?
"That's hard to tell. Maybe, since their number is declining, institutions tend to leave those pensioners alone, preferring to deal with more pressing matters. In fact, the agreements on social security between Italy and Canada date back to 1979, and have never been updated since. Some time ago there was a protocol of understanding, but it remained in a drawer. On the contrary, pension calculations badly need an update, because in the meantime several laws have been passed and they severely penalized Italians abroad. Much in the same vein, a new fiscal agreement would be needed (in connection with pensions, of course). There was a protocol of understanding about this, too. What happened to it?"
Unfortunately we hand the matter to those among us who, once elected, will have a chance to deal with these matters, and other issues as well.
"Indeed," confirms Francesco Donato, Director of Ital-Uil since 1984. "The problems of our community are so many that it is difficult even to identify them all. This will be a hard task for our future representatives, because we still lack the experience of dealing with the Parliament in Rome. What matters most is that the parties, which the future MPs representing constituencies abroad will belong to, do not influence the role and activity of the MPs themselves. Otherwise, they will be promoting symbols and not their constituents".
That will depend from the degree of independence of the candidates.
"Precisely, and we shall soon see, because the problems in our communities are eminently practical in nature. Medical assistance, for instance, i.e. the right to receive it when one goes to Italy for whatever reason; the 30-day extraordinary coverage currently offered is farcical, almost humanitarian aid. Also, the problem of recognition of education achieved abroad will have to be addressed; cross-recognition would be a concrete sign of the much-rumoured globalization."
The more doors we open, the more doors we find.
"That is why I would like to make a modest proposal: a symposium among all those interested in these issues should be organized as soon as possible. There are so many things to do, and we need to compare notes."
What else is wrong in the relationship between Italian institutions and Italians abroad?
"Back in Italy, they should understand that not every expatriate has become rich. This means that pension levels must be updated, because there are people, many people, who really need them. The patronages, unfortunately, have a purely fictitious power; better understanding and collaboration is required by Italian boards, INPS first and foremost. On the contrary, they continue to follow their own reasoning, not listening to us who are on the spot and see things firsthand."
Do you think this breakdown of dialogue may have cultural reasons?
"I'm afraid so. Most of INPS office directors, for instance, know next to nothing about pension laws concerning people living abroad, e.g., once we had an application turned down because of insufficient years on the job; that was a blunder, because the pensioner had applied for an old age pension, and they had mistaken it for a company pension."
Perhaps this can also be due to bureaucracy.
"Undoubtedly, red tape plays a major hampering role. Another example concerns voluntary contributions. Some people paid them to their regional office, which has been disbanded. In theory, those sums should be redirected to the corresponding provincial office, but if this does not happen, the entire procedure halts and goes nowhere. When we inquire about those sums, nobody knows anything about them. Do you know what 'passing the buck' means?"
I do: this is one of those infamous traits that detract from Italy's image. Another patronage confirms this.
"Now that we can vote abroad," comments Liliana Mitrovic, in charge of the Acli Patronage, "why don't we try and do something to defeat this blasted bureaucracy? Now is the time to move forward; fight for other objectives. What can we see from here? That the Ministry of Treasury continues to be a hindrance, occasionally insurmountable; that INPS has improved somewhat but has a long way to go; and that even the less frequent relationships with other ministries are in no better shape. I know what I'm talking about, I've been here for 20 years."
Could you tell us a story of ordinary bureaucratic folly?
"One of the people we assist is a senior who's been fighting for years. He receives a pension from Italy, because he was paying his contributions there. After he emigrated he continued to pay, but those contributions were not added to his previous totals. Therefore, he asked INPS to be reimbursed, but had a hard time with them. So I contacted that office personally and managed to solve his problem, or so I thought. After a while I had the surprise of seeing that gentleman again, because he had received no reply from them. This happens all too frequently, also with other social security institutes."
Communication breakdown, once again.
"Apparently so. I do not question the possibility for our patronage to be mistaken, but nobody lets us know when we do. I don't know what could be done in Rome to improve this situation. We keep writing, calling people, knocking at every door. Often, however, our correspondents on the other side of the ocean are not the problem; someone above them is."
Could a strengthening of the available computer communication devices help?
"I'd say it is indispensable. For instance, the Consulate has a computer linked directly to the INPS network via an Intranet. This seems positive, but you will understand how uncomfortable it is for such a useful instrument to be available only there. Moreover, when one manages to access it, its terrible slowness and frequent downtime stand out. INPS blames the carrier, the carrier blames INPS, and nothing is done in the meantime."
There is also a shortage of hardware, which could be traced back to bureaucracy once again (as Caterina Cicogna, Director of the Education Office of the Consulate, told us some time ago). But one of our contacts prefers not to focus on hindrances and problems.
"Bureaucracy?" wonders Rosanna Alexiadis, in charge of the Enasco Patronage and Consular Agent. "For certain it is a problem, and without it we would be better off, but it cannot be a scapegoat. It's historically an Italian social affliction. If one looks at the details, however, one sees that long delays happen with just some offices located in southern Italy, while northern offices give us much less trouble. I don't want to blame the South as usual; what I mean is that, where there is a will, things can be made to work. And work well."
So, in your opinion, what should be done?
"All Italians abroad, not just the pensioners, should be more involved, Italy should get closer to them, and to this end the law on voting is just a first step. More information and more culture are needed. Take the switch to euros for instance; does it look like a good information campaign for Italians abroad was conducted? Maybe someone thinks that this is of no concern to us. And then, the Istituti Italiani di Cultura; they're too elitist, and most of the people feel excluded. At present, we are dealing with an increasing number of widows with pensions, but this phenomenon will eventually disappear on its own."
Then focus must shift to the younger generation.
"Sure. The younger generations are those we have to bet upon. I think that voting will be of little interest to most of them; we have to get them involved on other levels, helping them to discover and learn since primary school. The Unification of Europe is getting minds in motion. Do you know how many people come asking for our help in returning to Italy? The youth see new opportunities, new working tools. When they travel to Italy, they find out that it is not the backward country they were told about for so long. That's why I say that all energies must be concentrated on these young people, who often travel with their old parents. Vote is no exception: future campaigns will have to focus on them."
Right from the start we underscored the attention to youth, coming from institutes normally seen as catering to seniors. Our final interview is no different.
"I wholeheartedly agree," says Tony Porretta, since 1994 the Director of the Epasa Patronage and since 1997 vice president of Comites for Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, "on the need to sensitize Italians in general and young people in particular on the importance of voting. Personally I believe that this law had to be done, because it confirms an absolute right: it took forever, but better late than never. I'm glad to vote and I hope that everything will go smoothly, because that way I think that we will also be voting for the regional governments within a decade. However, we have to know that very few people are really interested in this achievement. Maybe the interest will pick up following the first election. The efforts of the media to raise people's interest, especially in our youth, will be fundamental."
Mass media aside, how can these young people be reached?
"Through culture and jobs. Our young should not be cuddled but protected, meaning that in case of need they can rely on something solid. Issues like vocational training and recognition of foreign scholastic levels are fundamental. Europe has a great many instruments for training, and we should use them in full. But what shall we do in future, should that mother lode run out? Right now, other continents, North America first and foremost, do not care about it. As to degrees and diplomas, on the other hand, we have this paradox where the universities all over the world train excellent professionals who find closed doors in other countries, being effectively shut out of their profession. Globalization should not remain an empty word."
This is a rather bold statement, but you're not alone in saying so. How are things from the political standpoint, considering your other role as advisor to the Lazio region?
"When I talk with the representatives of Italian communities in other countries, I notice that the problems vary widely. That's not a good thing, because if we were more compact our voices could be heard much better. For instance, we in Canada are more interested in collaboration than in assistance from Italy; i.e., we have strategic problems. This is not true for everybody else, though. Argentina, a country in deep economic turmoil, has very different problems. We organize groups of youth and seniors and send them around the world; Italian-Argentineans would not know how to pay the airfare. Their problem is simply that 50 years ago they boarded a ship bound for a less fortunate country."
What do you mean by collaboration with Italy?
"At the Patronage, I meet pensioners who still need Italy, even if they left it decades ago. The worst cases are those of the people who changed several countries before finally settling in Canada. Now, with the vote, I have a concern. Until now, we dealt with any Italian regardless of his or her political opinions. Now new divisions will surface, and we should strive for unity as much as possible."

Publication Date: 2002-02-03
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=904