According to the statistics and reports published in the press, the rates of home and car theft, crime, sexual harassment and kidnapping of children have risen during the last few years, amid ongoing attempts on the Saudi Kingdom's southern border to carry out smuggling, infiltration and violations against the state's territory and sovereignty. Therefore, the Saudi authorities had to rectify the status of foreign workers and deported the offenders among them and those residing in the country illegally in order to uphold security and stability. A week ago, Yemeni websites carried a report saying that the Sana'a Airport Authorities deported the first Saudi national after he entered the country, in response to the deportation of the Yemeni workers. The paper which published the report – if it is indeed true – probably thought it will provoke the Saudis and push them to demand the discontinuation of the deportation of the offending Yemeni workers, so that the Saudis coming to their country are not deported in return. But I assure them that the Saudis will wish them good luck, and ask them to deport all the offending Saudis and others, build their country and uphold its security, unity and stability, and we will help and support them. What was surprising nonetheless was not the surfacing of complaints or reactions inside of Yemen over the Saudi decision, but the emergence of a group of residents inside the Kingdom to oppose and mock the decisions of a state inside its territories and on its sovereign soil, as though the offenders had become the Saudis' partners in their country or as though the Kingdom was obligated to indulge the offenders and remove the obstacles facing them. The latter are mistaken and should firstly respect the decision, start to fix their situation and urge those like them to respect the rule of law. Personally, I do not agree with the sudden character of the campaign or the cutting of residency papers, as this process should have been preceded by a media, awareness and cautionary campaign. Still, it came as a warning to the offender and those providing him with a cover. I do not think that any state in the world would tolerate the illegal stay of a migrant in it, or would allow him to work on its soil in a way going against the law. There are even strict international laws to that effect. But when these migrants are deported, their dignity should be upheld, their rights should be guaranteed, and they must be given the opportunity to present the evidence they possess, just like they have to respect the country's regulations because those who do not should not have a place in it. Last Wednesday, Al-Hayat shed light on a security report saying that more than 284,965 infiltrators holding 29 different nationalities entered the Kingdom in 2011, that the number of infiltration cases reached 16,916 cases, and that 99% of them were conducted via the southern border. The report also stated that 94% of the arrestees among the infiltrators carried the Yemeni nationality. At a time when Yemenis were attacking the Saudi decision and expressing disgruntlement - which can be understood from the citizens of a brotherly and neighboring country that is going through difficult economic conditions - New Delhi and Manila were announcing their respect of the Saudi authorities' decision. Hence, the Philippines urged its nationals to use the three-month deadline granted by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdul-Aziz, to the offending workers to rectify their status and legalize their stay in the country, while the Indian government did not think there was any reason for its workers to panic about the Saudi campaign. At this level, the spokesman for the Indian Foreign Ministry, Syed Akbaruddin, said that Saudi Arabia was implementing a program aiming to lower the unemployment rate among its citizens. According to the estimates of the Central Department of Statistics and Information, there were around 9.4 million foreign workers in the Kingdom in 2012. In my opinion, the real problem for those seeking a solution is the containment of those who drowned the market throughout the past decades with visas, and sold them to introduce an out-of-control and wretched workforce. Hence, the sponsorship system should be revised so that it is completely annulled, followed by the toppling of the visa brokers and the smearing of the companies providing a cover for the offenders and employing foreigners at the expense of Saudis. In addition, the output of the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation should be reviewed, to see why it is unable to ensure the graduation of trained Saudis in various vocational and technical disciplines, close it if need be, and hold the officials in it accountable in case it is confirmed that its institutes were useless. This would be followed by the dispatch of students to states capable of training a professional Saudi workforce. There is no doubt that the insistence on the implementation of this campaign upon the expiry of the deadline set by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques will produce a society in which the law prevails, provided that the involved and the accomplices are smeared and that the sponsorship system is annulled – considering that it is among the reasons behind this phenomenon – to prevent the emergence of a black market serving none other than the visa brokers. What is certain is that the corrective action is extremely necessary, as it will change the structure of the labor market and rearrange it in a way serving the country's interests, considering that it will result in restoring the rights of its citizens through the nationalization of jobs. Anyone can criticize the way it is carried out, but not oppose it, seeing how this step will have positive results in the future. Indeed, around 160,000 students will return from abroad with higher degrees and qualifications earned from international universities, and no one wants them to come back to the country and be yet another number added to the lists of unemployed. [email protected] JameelTheyabi@
