We must thank expats Abdulateef Al-Mulhim; The ongoing campaign against illegal workers following the deadline for correction of status has stirred a debate within and outside the Kingdom. Nobody could deny the importance of this decision to streamline the Saudi job market. In the process, many illegal expatriates have been deported, which is a global practice. The authorities had given ample time to illegal workers to get their status corrected. It is true this current mess has been created due to decades-long malpractices, so the given time appeared much less in face of the magnanimity of the issue. But authorities had to start at some point. So much have been written on this issue and we came across varying viewpoints. Even I have written a number of times on the issue. This time around, however, some views expressed by some writers prompted me to pen another article on the same issue. I do believe that everybody is entitled to his/her opinion but those views should rational. Some writers have been unfair to the expatriates and denied them the much-needed appreciation for their contributions to the Kingdom. Saudis are very grateful to the expatriates for their contribution to the development of the Kingdom and firmly believe that there will always be room for expatriates in this blessed country. Saudi Arabia is considered one of those countries of the world that have very generously opened their doors to foreigners. Of the total population of the Kingdom, one-third is expatriates or non-Saudis. I have extensively written about expatriates and their roles in the progress of the Kingdom. In all my previous articles, I laid emphasis on the importance of expatriates and discussed ways to effectively utilize their potentials for the betterment of the Kingdom. Having said that I would like to say that I strongly support the idea of Saudization of all jobs in the Kingdom. But let me make it clear to all, despite Saudization process, the Kingdom has so much untapped potential that it will always need millions of expatriates working along side their Saudi friends. There are many expatriates who had contributed a great deal to the uplift of the Kingdom and many of them had been living here for the past 30 or even 40 years. Saudi Arabia is their home. Their friends are in the Kingdom and when they go back on vacation to their homelands, they are more foreigners than citizens. Their children don’t even have any friends back home. They are simply born and raised in Saudi Arabia. And the most difficult time for any expatriate family is when their child graduates from high school and plans to pursue further education. At that stage, he has no choice but to go home or another country for higher education. So, the question is why young men and women who are not Saudis can’t attend Saudi universities? Many expatriates are willing to pay the tuition fee and other charges. Their college enrollment in Saudi Arabia will give them the comfort of being close to their families and the presence of expatriates is good for the Saudi education. Countries like the United States, which has the best schools in the world get better classification according to the number of foreign students and the presence of foreign students create more competition. Also, it will be a source of income to Saudi universities. In addition to education, it is important to find a way to give something like permanent residency like the American Green Card to qualified expatriates. And after awhile if the expatriate continues to serve the country, then he or she can get a Saudi citizenship if he or she has a needed talent or majored in a unique specialty. Saudis and expatriates had always been working together for a long time and if one-third of our population is expatriates, then we have to know that many of them will be in Saudi Arabia for a very long time. We Saudis and expatriates should work for the good of this generous country. It is healthy for both.
Posted on: Thu, 28 Nov 2013 18:37:52 +0000
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