A qualified accountant from Bangladesh here is in a pathetic condition; his mental agony writ large on his wrinkled face which also has telltale signs of the turbulent times he had. A.H.M. Zohurul Alam (50) broke down several times while narrating to Saudi Gazette the sequence of events that turned his life upside down. Alam was recruited from Bangladesh to work as chief accountant at Bangladesh International School, Riyadh (English Section) in 2004. He remained on the school payroll for three years before he was unceremoniously shown the door on Oct. 3, 2007. Alam, a product of Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh (ICAB), Dhaka, a prestigious institution and holder of Canada-based Certified Financial Consultant (CFC), said the school management gave no reason for his termination. “I became a victim of favoritism, as the board of directors (BoD) comprising members elected from parent community replaced him with someone close to them,” he said. A former member of BoD admits that the school management has acted against the Saudi labor laws. “After failing to receive any positive response from school management Alam should have approached the Ministry of Education with documents and grievances,” the ex-official said requesting anonymity. But, Alam maintains, all his efforts failed. “My pleas fell on deaf years, despite the fact that Badruzzaman, Head of Chancery (HoC) once issued a letter to the school management asking them to settle my case,” he said. Badruzzaman assured Saudi Gazette that Bangladesh Embassy would look into the matter and try to resolve Alam's case. “Our sympathies are with Alam and we will re-examine his case and try to resolve it,” the embassy official said. Alam said that during the past three years he has received some excellent employment offers with salaries ranging from SR6,500 and above from a number of leading companies. However, the school management failed to issue him release letter and has thus deprived him of decent job offers. In the absence of proper employment, Alam has a harrowing time; to meet his daily expenses and remit money to his family living in Bangladesh. He said during the past three years he has been pleading with the school management to give him release papers so that he could find another job. Alam also approached the embassy for the resolution of his long-standing problem. He said the school management has paid him SR5,000 as part of his SR12,500 end-of-service-benefit (ESB), which helped him support the family back home and to meet his daily expenses here. “The ESB and the money I managed to earn off and on was not enough to survive for such a long period,” he said. At times, Alam said, he is so perturbed that he loses mental balance and thinks of going on a hunger strike. “However, I control myself because such a practice (hunger strike) is unlawful in Saudi Arabia,” he said. He said he feels insecure while living in a room adjacent to the kitchen. The school management has provided him the accommodation and he continues to live in it. “Some weird thoughts assault me to fear for my life. I won't sleep normally fearing that the LPG cylinders in the kitchen would explode and the entire place would be engulfed in fire,” he said. Driven by such wild thoughts Alam said he went to the gas station and bought two fiberglass LPG cylinders that are considered safe. His colleagues said Alam is so fearful of his life that most of the time he stays awake and even when he has to go to a grocery store for any small thing he seeks the company of others. “I started to borrow money from school colleagues and now am burdened with loans with no hope of repayment. Some Indian restaurant is helping me out with free meals and other community members have offered financial assistance. But my conscience does not allow me to go on living such a disgraceful life,” Alam told Saudi Gazette amidst phone calls from his wife from Dhaka. Alam said his wife has been calling him quite often for money in view of the forthcoming holy month of Ramadan. He said his wife is demanding money thinking that he has a good job in Saudi Arabia and has been lying to her. “I am also jeopardizing my family life. I don't know where should I turn to for help,” said Alam. Alam's passport has expired in September 2009 and he has been pleading in vain to get it renewed. His roommates described Alam as a victim at the hands of his own people. “We often hear and read stories of labor disputes between expatriate workers and their Saudi sponsors. But here is a unique case that involves Bangladeshis and for the past three years Alam has been suffering at the hands of our people,” Alam's roommate said.
