WE have heard and read a number of stories about the ill-treatment of foreign workers by employers. It is just natural that the weaker gets the sympathy. When a car hits a pedestrian, the blame in most cases goes to the motorist. People have a tendency to jump to conclusions. So when we hear or read about cases where a Saudi sponsor mistreats or ill-treats his worker, we put the sponsor in the dock. Ill-treatment or exploitation of authority must be condemned. But do we ever bother to look at the other side of the coin? Exploitation comes with authority and power, no doubt. But those in power and authority can also be subjected to exploitation. A driver may deliberately stop the car in the middle of the street on a hot day, feigning malfunction in the vehicle just to teach a lesson to his sponsor. A housemaid may feign illness so that her employers do not leave behind their children under her care while going out for shopping or party. A worker may not show up in the office on a day when you need him the most. These examples are not figments of imagination. Such incidents have indeed taken place. Employers and sponsors do have to cope with such hassles almost everyday. But these cases don't get into the print, because no body will believe that a weaker can also be an exploiter. That is why communism – which celebrates the exploitation by the weaker section of society – could not prosper beyond the pages of textbooks. And democracy where everyone – weak or powerful – has equal right is the most popular form of government today. Many foreign workers are here by choice, not by chance. And if someone lives under the much-hyped ‘repression', it's his or her choice. __
