Of Mafia, Camorra and the real security emergency

Mafia, Camorra and all the other Italian criminal organisations have always sold well in Italy. In the '80s, a TV fiction like La Piovra was one of the biggest hit ever in the country. In the last years, Roberto Saviano's book (and later film) Gomorra has constantly been a best-seller. And when, between May and July 1992, Mafia killed the two most prominent anti-Mafia judges Falcone and Borsellino, Italians were shocked and united in their grief. Yet, never has an Italian government pledged to root the "grande criminalità" out.
Through drug trafficking, extorsions, prostitution, Mafia eats up 7 percent of Italy's GDP, dragging down the whole economy, particularly in the South. Despite some high-profile arrests in the last years, it's as active as ever. And it kills, not just rival criminals, but also innocent and honest people like Raffaele Granata, a beach-owner murdered yesterday near Naples for refusing to pay protection money, the so-called "pizzo".
Sicilians, it has been recently reported, are waking up against Mafia. The number of people reporting extortions to the police is rising. Citizens' associations have been founded. And what is the goverment doing? Nothing. The much-talked about "security emergency" focuses on Roma and immigrants.
Berlusconi's is surely to blame for never mentioning Mafia as a priority, and many analysts have linked the extraordinary success of the centre-right coalition in the South (in the 2001 elections, it scooped up all the 61 contested seats in Sicily) to the "soft approach" towards Mafia, a decisive vote-gatherer in some Southern regions. But the centre-left coalition, despite some commendable candidates (like Borsellino's sister Rita) has hardly played the Mafia card in any elections.
Maybe politicians think that Mafia is too big a cancer to eradicate, therefore it can just be contained. Maybe the Mafia backing is too important to win in some constituencies. Maybe investing heavily in the struggle against the high criminality would not improve noticeable results. Maybe it just requires too much courage to stand up to Mafia, because vengeance is likely. But I guess that, if a national coalition put the struggle against Mafia, Camorra, 'Ndrangheta and the likes at the top of its priorities, stressing the message that Italy can be different, that the state can really protect those who dare stand up, Italians would pull together and things could change.
Think of a new prime minister announcing on TV, or in his first speech to the country or to a crowd of supporters, "We shall overcome against Mafia", or "yes, we can". Unthinkable? Maybe. Surely unseen in Italy, up to now.