I was dumbfounded when I read recently an article that appeared in this newspaper. The article was originally carried by an Arabic daily and Saudi Gazette published its translation with the title "Expat workers pose a danger to our country." The writer begins his article by drawing attention to a recent incident in which a group of expatriate workers set fire to the buses of a local company they work for because the company had not paid them their salaries for three months. There is no doubt that this incident, if it is true, is unfortunate and dangerous. Those who committed this crime should be tried and punished. Similarly, it is also essential to try and punish those - whether they are Saudis or expatriates - who halted the payment of their salaries. It is quite unjust to deny these workers, who left their homeland and family members in search of their livelihood, payment of their wages for three months. These expatriates are living in difficult conditions and are working in extreme hot temperatures for a meager salary. There is no justification for the denial of their rights by delaying these low wages. This is also totally in contravention to the teachings of the Prophet (peace be upon him), who said: "Pay the laborer his wages before his sweat dries." It is illogical and unacceptable that the writer issues his rulings against all expatriates in the name of an incident in which a group of expatriates were involved. I want to emphasize that this incident should be probed and that those involved should be punished after ensuring them a fair trial. If a similar incident was caused by Saudi workers, could we say that Saudis pose a danger to the nation? In the meantime, the writer acknowledges that no one can deny the contributions that expatriate workers have made to our economy and other fields. But at the same time, he demands that we recognize that the large number of expatriate workers in this country could really be dangerous. He also added that some of them can pose security threats to this country, and hence they could be considered to be time bombs that could go off at any minute. The writer continued, saying: "Based on personal experience, many expats hate us and are angry because we are a rich country. Why they are angry I do not know...They act as if we stole their money and snatched it from them... Some of them go so far as to say that we, Saudis, do not deserve these blessings and the money we have." He added: "That is the reason why some of them become violent when they do not get paid on time." The writer concludes his article with the following remarks: "Although this issue might seem to be complicated, it is simple and can be easily resolved. The only way to solve it is for Saudi businessmen to take serious steps to replace expatriate workers with Saudis and invest more in Saudi employees." He also advises Saudi businessmen to bear the training costs of Saudis and pay them good salaries in order to encourage them to work in the private sector. I don't know in which field this writer wants to replace expatriates with Saudis? Is he proposing the replacement of expatriates with Saudis in the fields of male and female doctors and nurses or in the case of construction and cleaning workers? Does he think that there are a sufficient number of Saudis who can work in these fields? Does he think that there are Saudis who are will to be street cleaners even if they receive wages 10 times higher than the wages being paid to expatriates? These expatriate street cleaners are subjected to injustice that is not supposed to take place in the land of the two Holy Mosques. How can cleaning companies and contractors be allowed to sign cleaning contracts worth billions of riyals and at the same time pay their workers meager monthly salaries that are not more than the price of one meal for company officials at a luxurious restaurant? The danger that the writer talks about does not come from expatriates but from our arrogance, superiority complex and chauvinist mindset and the injustice which we do to others. We have to recognize the fact that without the presence of expatriates it would have been impossible for us to achieve what we have today, and for this, we have to thank them and appreciate their efforts by granting them their full rights in a gentle and gratifying manner. Similarly, we have to stop offending them as well as subjecting them to collective punishment due to a crime or fault committed by one or more individuals among them. Those expatriates who commit any crime should be prosecuted. Being a country governed by fair rules and regulations, our treatment should be the same for both Saudis and expatriates. Being a person who worked abroad as part of a diplomatic career, I met several people who returned to their homeland after working in the Kingdom. I still recall that many of them recollected their experience in the Kingdom with a sense of pride and gratefulness. I also met with some people who complained that they were forced to return due to the ill treatment of their sponsors, such as the delay in disbursing salaries, difficult work conditions and arrogant behavior. In such a scenario, I reiterate the demand to abolish the sponsorship system and introduce an alternative system under which all the rights of both parties are safeguarded, following the example of some other Gulf countries. — Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi is a former Saudi diplomat who specializes in Southeast Asian affairs. He can be reached at [email protected]
