By Dr. Sawraj Singh
Migration in the era of Globalization primarily serves the interests of the western imperialists rather than of the third world countries and their people. We can see this clearly in the case of Punjab. The biggest bad effect of Globalization for Punjab so far has been the so called Green Revolution. It has pushed Punjab on the verge of becoming a desert. However, Punjab is not only facing the risk of becoming desert geographically it is also running the risk of becoming intellectually, socially, culturally and morally barren.
Punjab’s social fabric is tearing apart. Its culture and value system are taking a big beating. Many families are facing the problem of disintegration. Sanctity of institutions like marriage has been severely compromised. Social stability has suffered tremendously. Most of the Punjabis have developed a nomadic mentality. They are just waiting for their visa to Canada or Australia. Punjab has become more like a transit lounge in an airport or a platform in a railway station where the passengers are waiting for their plane or train. Social stability becomes the biggest victim in a situation like this
I feel that the Punjabis have been almost completely deprived of intellectual leadership. The so called Punjabi intellectuals almost completely failed to warn the Punjabis of the adverse consequences of the so called Green Revolution. Finally, the damage done by the so called Green Revolution has reached the state of a disaster. Now people are realizing that the so called Green Revolution was a blunder and has proved disastrous for Punjab. Not only the pseudo- intellectuals failed to warn the people of the impending disastrous consequences of the so called Green Revolution, they were singing the praises of this.
Unfortunately, the same story is now being repeated in the case of migration. Many Punjabi intellectuals have joined the chorus in singing the praises of migration. Just like the Green Revolution, the migration is supposed to bring big benefits for Punjab and the Punjabi people. These so called intellectuals do not seem to understand that migration in the era of Globalization primarily serves the interests of the capitalist class in the western imperialist countries rather than the people of the third world countries or even the people of the western imperialist countries. A majority of the white people in Europe or North America seem to oppose migration. We get this impression by looking at the results of recent elections in Europe and by the election of Trump as the President of America.
Migration is proving to be the biggest challenge for the survival of Punjab as a distinct cultural entity. If the present trends of outward and inward migration continue then Punjab as we know it is going to change forever. Punjab will no longer be the symbol of Indus-Ganges Civilization it will be completely absorbed by the Ganges Civilization. Migration has already done tremendous damage to Punjab’s economy, culture and ethics. The damage done to Punjabi culture and values is visible. However, many people do not seem to understand that migration has done tremendous damage to Punjab’s economy. There are some estimates that there is a net Rupees 30,000 crores outflow a year from Punjab. Since the present wave of mass migration started in Punjab, it has moved from the first to the ninth place among the Indian states as for as economic development is concerned.
Some people say that migration is a natural phenomenon and it has always been there. They do not seem to understand that the migration in the era of Globalization is not a natural phenomenon this is Imperialist induced migration to primarily serve the interests of the capitalist class rather than the majority of the people. It is true that it has helped some people in the short term. However, in the long run, it is going to prove detrimental for the majority of people. We should understand the difference between strategy and tactics. Tactics are short term planning whereas, strategy is meant for long term planning. Migration can be a good tactics but it can never be our strategy.
Dr. Sawraj Singh, MD F.I.C.S. is the Chairman of the Washington State Network for Human Rights and Chairman of the Central Washington Coalition for Social Justice. He can be reached at [email protected].
