http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7§ion=0&article=74590&d=12&m=12&y=2005
Monday, 12, December, 2005 (11, Dhul Qa`dah, 1426)
It's the Experience That Counts
Lubna Hussain, [EMAIL PROTECTED]
It was a bright cold day in November, and the clocks were
striking thirteen. Although the setting could have been reminiscent of 1984, it
was, in actual fact, 2005. I picked up a copy of the newspaper and was struck
by one of the front-page headlines. "Ban on Expats Aged 60", it announced. I
read on in incredulity. It had been decreed that any expatriate worker over the
age of 60 would be denied permission to work by not having their visa renewed
and, in addition to this, banned the recruitment of people of a similar age
bracket from overseas. There was, it claimed, to be no exemption.
I remember feeling somewhat stunned by this sudden decision
and wondered if the matter had been discussed well in advance with the
employees it concerned. Perhaps these individuals had already been apprised of
the fact that they were communally getting fired because of an accident of
birth and had been given plenty of time to make alternative arrangements for
where they would go next. Even this appeared to be a callous way in which to
deal with those who had left their homes and their families to work among us.
But then again, I thought to myself, this is after all a labor law and due to
its obviously flawed and erroneous logic, it could very well be rescinded.
I mused upon the ludicrous dictate that had previously barred
non-Saudis from working in the gold souks and how, at the time, even though it
seemed like a frightfully bad idea (like all other pompous ill-thought out and
delusional attempts at solving a problem without attempting to understand its
dynamics in the first place) it had been implemented and then, after satisfying
the self-fulfilling prophecy of being a failure, had been revoked. I still
remember how the once vibrant and buzzing markets for jewelry brimming with
customers and excited exchanges had been transformed into ghostly corridors
devoid of trade. The Yemenis, who had lent their aptitude and commercial
prowess to this highly lucrative arena had been evicted and the lure of the
market had departed with them to other countries in the Gulf where
entrepreneurial spirit is welcomed and entertained irrespective of the passport
of the person possessing it. As the contents of the new stricture didn't affect
me personally I failed to really give it much thought.
A few days passed and I received an e-mail from a reader who
had been one of the first to write to me when I started for Arab News about a
year ago. What he said brought home the heartache and anguish that such an
edict caused to the very people who have given so much of their lives to make
the Kingdom the great nation that it is. He asked me whether I had heard about
the new regulation and remarked upon how he found it "curious" that there had
been no comments made about it in the press. I replied asking him what it was
that he felt and, this was his response. "I'm not sure how I feel about it. I
suppose it is a personal shock to realize you're getting old when you certainly
don't feel old and expected to be here another five years. I've been here for
15 years on and off - over a decade total. My children have grown up without
me. I feel like many expats that I no longer belong in my home country and I
certainly don't belong here. I think if the law holds, it will be an
opportunity to find a more hospitable place to live and work: China is begging
for teachers and while the money is a fraction of what Saudis pay, I have heard
from friends I trust that it is a wonderful place to teach."
It was through this correspondence that I learned how this
ruling had come as a bolt from the blue to all of these foreigners, many of
whom had worked in Saudi Arabia for decades. I shuddered to imagine how I would
feel if I had spent much of my adult life on foreign shores and one morning I
woke up to read the newspaper to find out that not only had I been terminated,
but was no longer welcome in the very place that I had considered "home". A
rude awakening if ever there was one. As I had earlier surmised, the "law" has
since then been annulled. Thank God for that. However, in light of this debacle
and, if a track record is anything to go by, I would like to make a couple of
recommendations to our friends at the ministry.
There is no doubt that Saudization is an essential and
laudable ideal. But what you have to realize is that in order to achieve it in
the most effective and comprehensive manner, as opposed to engaging in such
knee-jerk and embarrassingly superficial responses, you must plan for it and
refrain from implementing such ad hoc mandates.
Instead of trying to find ways of ridding yourselves of the
potential goldmine of the expatriate community, you would be far better off to
benefit from the wealth of expertise that you have readily available. For years
you have utilized these wonderfully skilled and capable individuals to help
build the infrastructure of this country. What's more is that many of them too
want to give something back for the time that they have spent here. Contrary to
what you think, they are not mercenaries. They too take pride in the Kingdom's
achievements. Besides, rather than being governmental policy to determine which
strata of the workforce it is that should be employed, it would be far more
logical to leave such decisions to the employers themselves. If certain tasks
require a great deal of understanding of the working practices within the
Kingdom then it would be common sense to hire people who have lived and worked
here for a long time regardless of how old they are.
We need to initiate strategic incentives whereby we seek the
assistance of these very valuable members of society to educate us, train us
and impart to us the knowledge and proficiency that will enable us to
eventually become self-sufficient. Instead of replacing them with our own
nationals, it may be more advantageous to utilize them in training programs
within the workplace to bring our own people up to the mark.
It is not the age of the expatriate community that needs to
be subjected to scrutiny, but the ability of the people who pass and reverse
such laws at the drop of a hat. For it is not the number of years that defines
wisdom, but the potential to make decisions based on sound judgment and the
ability to stick to them.
* * *
(Lubna Hussain is a Saudi writer. She is based in Riyadh.)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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