Judging from the continuous flurry of letters to malaysiakini on the issue of Malaysians emigrating overseas en masse, the subject matter seems to sit uncomfortably on the conscience of many readers.

Since time immemorial, human beings have always migrated across geographical and political boundaries. There is nothing new in this phenomenon.

In fact, if the latest anthropological hypothesis is to be believed, the species called Homo Sapiens probably had its origin somewhere in Africa. Migration of the species over a couple of million years has succeeded in spreading our kind over all corners of the globe, to evolve into humans of various shades and colours.

Perhaps, we are all descendants of migrants. The gripping idea of an original 'homeland' could be a mythical construct that has been glorified by the rise of ethnic nationalism in recent centuries.

Why do people leave the security of their familiar niches and just uproot themselves for the uncertainties of another land?