Qasaibi recently announced that he would place curbs on the number of Bangladeshi workers entering the Kingdom. This came after complaints that an inordinate number of Bangladeshi expats were involved in criminal activity, however petty much of that activity was. On the heels of that announcement, the Bangladeshi Embassy, following the lead of three other Asian nations, has declared that it will raise the minimum wage that it will allow its nationals to be paid here. These two declarations represent two sides of the same coin. Inflation and rising prices impact most of those already facing the greatest economic hardship. It's one thing for the gainfully employed to complain of a dent in their lifestyle, but it's quite another when a country's lowest-paid workers find themselves unable to put food on the table. In such situations, hunger and desperation, far more than greed or inherent dishonesty, are the primary motives for engaging in criminal activity. Many Bangladeshis and their colleagues from other south Asian countries are unskilled laborers who perform the lowest-paid jobs in the Kingdom. And it's no secret that they are often at the mercy of unscrupulous employers who don't pay them even the pittance that they have been promised. Already living in unacceptable conditions, these workers are powerless in the face of rising food prices and increasingly unfavorable exchange rates that make the few hundred riyals they wire to families back home every month worth less and less. Certainly, it is incumbent upon sponsors in the Kingdom to be as selective as possible when hiring foreign workers. But it is just as important that the pay and conditions offered their foreign employees not corrupt an otherwise honest man and leave him little alternative but to engage in criminal activity. With the current rate of inflation - the highest in 26 years - it is imperative that expat salaries be reviewed and a minimum wage increase be granted across the board. It is also imperative that regulations governing the treatment of workers be strictly enforced. Given the current economic boom, everyone contributing to the growth of the Kingdom, be they Saudis or expats, should benefit. __
