Diversity in Tagg Island Essay Example for Free

Diversity in Tagg Island Essay Population diversity may be defined as the presence of varied cultural, religious, social and related backgrounds among people living in the same environment (Anleu, 2009). Usually, diversity generates a crisis during settlement for a compromise which is necessary for co-existence. As an indication of growth and probably a shift from the usual way of doing things, diversification brings with it both opportunities and challenges. The start of diversification within a community may be signaled by media interaction or the physical immigration into a natives’ land. To the natives that are less conservative, population diversification ushers in learning chances and an improvement on social interactions. However, to strict conservatives, the later implies a break to cultural settings and distort of norms in a society. As a matter of necessity, population diversification will affect every nation or community in the near future. It is therefore important to be prepared and check the challenges that accompany the aforementioned diversification. This paper seeks to address the impact of change in social, economic and legal demographic characteristics of Tagg Island. The Island of Tagg has all through missed the benefits that accrue to population diversification such as economic growth and opening up of the borders to the world. However, the Island is lucky to have survived challenges of diversification for such a long time. Many other countries in the world experienced diversification at least two centuries ago due to colonization (Roy Sideras, 2006). To that effect, a country such as USA has established legal frameworks to address the issue. As it is expected, the USA legal framework on diversification is not without flaws that can be identified as mistakes and whose effects have affected the natives negatively. The council of Tagg Island needs to be very careful in laying down the appropriate legal infrastructure of dealing with diversification that seems inevitable with the start of oil drilling by foreigners in the island. It would be important for Tagg council to have a close look at the USA’s legal framework in regard to diversification. Diagnosis of the flaws or mistakes made by USA in the later issue will be worth noting so that mistakes can be avoided. Similarly, the strengths need be identified so that they can be the basis of establish a strong foundation. Findings on USA legal system on population diversification Unlike many other nations in the world, USA accepted diversity in its population through immigration as early as during the seventeenth century. Indeed, close to two hundred thousand European immigrants moved to America as indentured servants. Immigration trends continued in the nineteenth century characterized by influx of immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe and later by Asia and Latin America after 1965. Each of the immigrant groups carried with them their cultures, religion, race and most of all their norms and beliefs. Moreover, population diversity intensified the need for established of a legal framework and coexistence structures so that the new USA community would be cohesive. In 1952, long after US independence, an Act on Immigration and Nationality was endorsed and it helped create naturalization policies that were meant to embrace and check population diversity in the country (Denton Tolnay, 2002). Today, USA federal government has adopted a diversity framework through diversity visa lottery that grants legal entry to US for countries with low rates of US immigration. The legal immigrants are then nationalized or allowed to be in the country for a limited duration accordingly. In fact, the Diversification Act allows half a million immigrants to acquire legal permanent residence in US annually. There are also legal provisions in the Act that regulate the immigration quotas for each country upto a maximum of three thousand eight hundred and fifty individuals from a similar country. Moreover, there are other legal avenues of immigration to US including students and seasonal laborers. The legal figure per annum would therefore total to a million immigrants. Denton Tolnay 2002 argues that among the qualifications of the immigrants is the willingness to adhere to the governance structures and principles as set by the US government. The aliens therefore respect the rule of law, the constitution and the judicial system as established with time. In order to control, illegal immigration, USA closely monitors its borders in addition to the established system of access to humanitarian facilities. In fact, all adults in USA are legally recognized in medical, financial and any other public facilities that require identification and documentation. However, according to Pew Hispanic Center there have always been illegal immigrants who totaled to as high as twelve million individuals by year 2006 (Roy Sideras, 2006). The intention of the immigration legal framework was to practice the democratic right of every individual to earn from his labour without any discrimination based on origin or background. The diversification laws are in constant reviews as need be as witnessed by legislations and amendments mitigated by the 9/11 bombing of the twin towers in USA. By allowing diversification of the demographic characteristics in a country the conventional bill of rights as outlined by UN convention are respected. Flaws made by USA in legislation of diversification legal frameworks Like any other country or region, there is need for establishment of a balance between resources available and the population depending on such resources. When such balance is unchecked, resources will either be underutilized or insufficient. The former poses little or no challenged while the latter is detrimental to social economic life of the citizens. US Diversification Act seems flawed in the high number of legal immigrants that it grants. As aforementioned, immigration is not limited to Diversity Visa lottery, any other legal avenues but also extends to illegal immigration. The effects of extensive diversification have been the current high crime rates, high unemployment levels and over utilization of public facilities such as schools and hospitals. Even though there is need to enhance survival for humanity, it does not nullify the need to sufficiently take care of a country’s citizens (Roy Sideras, 2006). Secondly, in making the legislation, the laws are lacking in clearly dealing with the illegal immigrants that for example lead undocumented, an issue that is increasingly hard to deal with. In other words, there is need for comprehensive law that would not assume that illegal immigration is completely eliminated via deportation and detaining of culprits. According to Anleu 2009, effects of any law that is incomplete in addressing in totality the contextual issue are detrimental and worse than its absence until it is made whole. Furthermore, Diversity visa lottery provided in the Diversification Act lacks clear basis of establishing economic independence of immigrants to the US. For example, the exercise fails in establishing the will and economic strength of the immigrant’s host family before the immigrant can secure employment. In fact, to enhance diversification free from dependence, Diversity visa lottery should provide employment avenues for the immigrants. This is however impossible since the government has not succeeded in addressing unemployment among its native citizens. In addition, the laws do not clearly ensure that the legal immigrants’ rights are observed since there still are traces of racial discrimination in the country. Recommendations Having established the flaws that are susceptible to occur in providing a legal frame work for embracing diversity, the Tagg council should practise careful deliberations on the following issues. First, the council needs to establish the intensity of oil reserves in Tagg Island. The later should then be compared to the native population needs and particularly, the forecasted needs in the future. Once the resource versus native needs is established, the council should appropriately decide the number of aliens that it can legally allow. The ideal scenario would be that the proceeds of the oil drilling should enough for the natives and the legal immigrants. Second, there is going to be a change in religion and beliefs of the legal citizens. Furthermore, there is a possibility that the natives who are otherwise homogeneous in religion will adopt foreign religious beliefs. In matter of religion, Tagg council need to move in speed and establish if it would separate Island governance from the religion or it would declare homogeneity in religion as it has previously been. Probably, heterogeneous in religion would be preferable if the council considers oil drilling as key to its economy. However, the council must establish a common observance of the religious groups that may come up so that human rights are not violated. Third, the council must embrace the court system for subjecting to trial those suspected of breaking the law as set. This will particularly be necessary if the incoming aliens originate from countries with formal courts. Establishment of court systems do not in any way imply breaking of the law and order as set but to safeguard those who may be affected in case the very law and order are distorted. Although the natives are used to the decisions of the council being final, it do not imply that they are satisfied with such decisions and would probably like to challenge such verdicts in a structured formal way. The court systems, in addition to observing the constitution, ensure that rights of all legal citizens are uniformly respected and upheld. Furthermore, the courts established must be run by individuals with integrity and technical knowhow so that the law that protects or convicts all persons within Tagg Island is administered with integrity (Anleu, 2009). Fourth, Tagg council must be ready to embrace the impacts of laws such as detention of illegal immigrants and punishment of law breakers by citizens. The impacts will vary from public resistance and demonstrations to establishment of detainee camps and correction institutions for the law breakers (Roy Sideras, 2006). The council will therefore need to establish related facilities to cater for the impacts. Philosophically, the ideologies that support egocentric attitude among citizens will be forfeited in Tagg. Native citizens must also be taught to embrace diversity of views in terms of social norms, religion and other aspects if the island is to remain peaceful. Co-existence among differing social characteristics among the island inhabitants must be seen as a virtue that need to be legally supported so that the benefits that would result from oil drilling do not distort harmony that has been key among the Tagg community. Conclusion Population diversification has long been adopted by countries that have embraced the concept of globalisation. Although numerous challenges have been experienced as a result of the diversification, benefits achieved cannot be ignored. Countries have opened up their boundaries for trade and technological development. Furthermore, social ties are have been established and strengthened as a result of diversification. As people of different backgrounds mingle, there is a possibility of learning from each other, appreciating the differences and hence enhancing peace. Tagg Island has to keep up to the trends taken by other societies in embracing population diversification and establishing the associated structures. Furthermore, the island is not self sufficient in itself since it seemingly has not noticed of the oil resources that it possesses and which could improve the lives of its citizens (Roy Sideras, 2006). Since the council of Tagg Island may be lacking in legal expertise, this report strongly recommends hiring of legal experts to assist in drafting diversification laws. In addition, the council may consider involving the aliens intending to drill oil so as to tailor their aspects of relationships accordingly. Finally, the council must accept the changes is facing and consider them as tools for development and inclusiveness in to the larger world blocks. References Anleu S. (2009). Social change and law. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications Ltd. Denton N. , Tolnay S. (2002). American diversity: Twenty-first century demographic challenge. New York, USA: SUNY Press. Roy, K. , Sideras, J. (2006). Globalisation, institutions, and empowerment. Williston, USA: Edward Elgar Publishing.