No need for legal expatriates to worry

Courtesy: ABDULLATEEF AL-MULHIM

The author writes for arab news

Published in Arab News — Tuesday 2 November 2010

These days the media is abuzz with stories about illegal expatriates and the action taken against them. Many are led to believe that Saudi Arabia or Saudis are against the presence of expatriate population in the Kingdom. This is not true.

Since 1973, Saudi Arabia has been playing host to millions of expatriates from various countries across the globe. The contribution of the expat community to the development of the Kingdom is duly recognized and appreciated by all.

Due to the influx of expatriates, the Kingdom has become a melting pot of various cultures. Saudis and expats have learned a great deal from one another. I personally know many expatriates who have spent most of their lives in the Kingdom and consider Saudi Arabia their second home. We, Saudis, respect all such expats. However, in every country non-residents have duties and obligations toward the host country and must obey the law of the land.

The ongoing measures are only directed against people who flout the laws and exploit loopholes in the system. Expatriates who respect the law and are residing in the Kingdom legally have nothing to worry about.

It is true that unlike in the past, more and more young educated Saudis are entering the job market. This does not mean that we don’t want foreign workers anymore. We believe that Saudis and expatriates will work side by side for the progress of the country.

People must understand that the action against illegal expatriates is the need of the hour. In fact, the illegal status of these expatriates make them more vulnerable to abuses at the hands of their sponsors. These illegal expats cannot report any matter to the authorities and continue to brave inhuman treatment.

Moreover, the presence of illegal expats is also detrimental to the interests of foreigners who are residing in the Kingdom legally. These illegal workers take up all sorts of jobs at much lower salaries, which consequently affect the job market and create problems for both Saudis and legal expats.

The current phenomenon is not Saudi specific as many countries across the world are taking stern actions against illegal population by implementing harsh laws. It won’t be an exaggeration to claim that the Kingdom has been kind to the illegals as well as they have been given ample time to correct their status. But, it turned out that the number of illegal workforce is much higher than the expectations of many.

Apart from the huge numbers of illegal workers, various factors have further complicated the situation, but at the end of the day, a country will do whatever it can to protect its national interests.

During the past few weeks we have been reading about panic-stricken workers scrambling to get their status corrected. The government departments are working at full capacity to deal with a deluge of illegal expats. A careful analysis of the situation will reveal that many Saudis are also to be blamed for this situation. Why did they hire illegal workers in the first place?

One should realize that by taking action against the illegal expats, the authorities would be in a better position to do planning for the benefit of Saudis and legal foreigner workforce.

Many of the expatriates who would leave the Kingdom after correcting their will have a chance to return and prove to be valuable asset to the Kingdom. But at this stage the Kingdom has the right to review the presence of hundreds of thousands of illegal workers. This will benefit both the Saudis and the legal expats.