Wrong Side of the World...
(Is it The Philippines or Australia?)
(Is it The Philippines or Australia?)
When me and my family had the rare opportunity of being able to come to Australia, we had high hopes of the said event as being a big chance of our lives. We all physically and psychologically prepared ourselves for the big move and change. I personally thought that given such a chance we would be able to prove that we can greatly contribute in making Australia or this world a better place even though we were born from the so-called wrong side of the world…
Yet our dreams were immediately shattered and hopes quickly dashed because our sponsor/employers treated us differently in comparison to their Australian employees. We were exploited to the bones and treated nothing but contempt and prejudice. All because our sponsor/employers then think that we are deserving of such treatment because we were born on the wrong side of the world…
Now, I may not know the depth or workings of the Australian system, but based on the experiences we had as we trusted and allowed ourselves to be subjected to its bureaucratic intricacies, it seemed more like an Australian injustice system. For the people and individuals designated to handle our case, it would be as simple as looking at the circumstances of our case, go over their books and make decisions. And they can do this without even losing a single sleep. But for us it’s a matter of life and death, all because we were born on the wrong side of the world…
Maybe if we were born or came from any of the Pacific Islands, New Zealand, USA or any European countries and not from the so-called third world countries, our immigration condition would have been significantly different and we would have been treated differently. I believe that we are at the disadvantage to begin with, all because we were born on the wrong side of the world…
In hindsight and looking at how things are going for us, it seems that doors are all shutting down and the world we want to create for us and our children seemed like breaking and falling apart. For awhile there, I almost resigned myself to the reality that maybe these things happen to us because we were indeed born on the wrong side of the world…
But then again, I personally believe that those who have less in life should have more in law and last time I checked the symbol of justice has her eyes fully covered. It is because she doesn’t see any specific or particular sex, race, color, creed, belief or nationality. To put it plain and simple, justice is blind. As a matter of fact, for the cause, course and ends of justice there is no such thing as being born on the wrong side of the world!
...in honor and memory of the Filipinos who fell and died in the cracks of the 457 visa programme, Pedro Balading and Wilfredo Navales, whose only humble intentions of coming to Australia was to provide a better life for their loved ones. Their deaths will never be in vain, because to forget their sacrifices will be the ultimate denial of justice.
