Tariq A. Al-Maeena A sense of alarm is vibrating through the expatriate community. Rumors feed the demoralized souls of those foreigners unsure of their legal status in the country. Reports of arrests and deportation have sent shock waves through many communities, and their media back home is sitting up and taking notice. The Times of India reported that "with Saudi Arabia firmly implementing naturalization laws that will hit Kerala expatriates there, the state government plans to urge the Center to seek a clemency period of six months for non-resident Indians trapped in the Kingdom… Chief Minister Oommen Chandy will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and raise the demand to buy time for finalizing alternative options and ensure that those violating the law won't land in Saudi prisons." As a mission representing one of the largest expatriate communities in the Kingdom, the Indian Embassy in Riyadh released a statement to the press assuring its community that much of their worry was based on rumors and unconfirmed reports. The statement said: “The Embassy has observed inaccurate reports in some sections of Indian media which created panic among the Indian expatriate community in Saudi Arabia and their families in different States of India. The Saudization program also called Nitaqat program currently being undertaken in Saudi Arabia is not targeting any particular expatriate community. This is part of an ongoing Saudi policy of generating employment for Saudi nationals and for streamlining the job market in the country…. The Embassy assures the Indian community that there is no need for panic and overreaction on the Nitaqat program… The Embassy has recently taken additional steps to address the concerns of the Indians in distress in Saudi Arabia. The Embassy has started registration of legally employed Indians who face difficulties, if any, due to the Nitaqat program, particularly due to their companies moving into the red category." The Pakistani Consulate in Jeddah and its officials have also taken extra steps to reassure their countrymen, who also are among the largest group of expatriates, and to caution them to remain calm and not feed rumors that create unnecessary worry and confusion. Consulate staff have been proactive in that they have physically paid visits to areas where large scale raids have been reported and Pakistani nationals were said to have been arrested, following statements by some of their nationals on social media sites. An announcement on their Consular website and Facebook account reads as follows: "The Consul General and other designated officers of the Consulate visited various residential areas of Jeddah late into the night wherever it was reported on social media that late night raids were conducted by Saudi authorities and Pakistani nationals and families were targeted. The team checked with residents of each of the localities and such reports were found baseless. Moreover, a meeting was also held with the Education Department which has given categorical assurance that no raid will be conducted at schools. Rather, schools will be provided sufficient opportunities to regularize their sponsorship discrepancies, if any. It is requested that the community remain calm and dispel rumors and cooperate with Saudi functionaries in carrying out their duties." Whether the reassuring statements by the various missions will have much effect on frayed nerves remains to be seen. As authorities step up their drive and target those without the proper papers, I wonder if the authorities here have not missed a step. Why are they targeting the end-user here, the poor individual expat who had begged, borrowed and practically mortgaged his life and belongings to scrape up enough money to pay for a visa from some unscrupulous Saudi visa trader who is content to squeeze additional money from the hapless victim each year for simply allowing him to remain in the country? That in itself is a crime of the highest proportion, and those Saudis are the ones who should be rounded up and imprisoned. If the authorities want to stop the practice of fake sponsorship, then start by attacking the visa traders before anything else. They are the real criminals! The authorities should also consider other options. As one expat from whom I borrowed the title of today's column said: “There are many teachers, teaching assistants, and administrators who are very worried they are going to be deported because they have employment contracts with local schools but are on their husband's sponsorship, e.g. their Iqama is not from the schools where they work. Many are quitting or living in fear that they will be caught and deported. “The new drive will result in an exodus of at least two million illegal workers. As a result there will be an acute shortage of workers and prices will go up. It will also affect project works…I see this as a ticking time bomb for the Kingdom as it is all very well kicking out undesirables, criminals and other unsavory people, but when you also kick out perfectly able and skilled workers without having skilled Saudis to take their places, you are tantamount to ‘throwing out the baby with the bath water.' Tom”. If indeed no proper consideration has been given by the authorities to the impact of their ongoing raids, Tom may very well be right. — The author can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @talmaeena
