By Ahmed Assad Khalil
Al-Madina
WHO are the expatriates? Why did they come to our country? Do we really need them? Can we do without them? What is the alternative for them? Where is the problem and what is the solution?
These questions and many others come to our minds from time to time. Many people call for getting rid of expatriates completely and as quickly as possible.
But first let us find the answers to these questions, which hopefully will be, at least to some degree, satisfactory to everyone without a trace of racism, revulsion or denial in their blood.
The majority of expatriates were recruited to work in our country through official channels in order to perform certain jobs that required skills and experience. They were brought in to meet the demand for those skills and their presence in our country became a necessity because we were not perform those jobs by ourselves.
For instance, we needed the expatriates to work as medical doctors, teachers, technicians, construction laborers, cleaners, machine operators, maintenance workers, barbers, welders, carpenters and electricians, jobs that Saudi citizens were incapable of doing. This is a fact that we should admit and acknowledge. If this was the case, obviously we cannot do away with all the expatriates once and for all.
If we decide to deport all the expatriates, do we have any real alternatives? Do we have enough national cadres to replace the expatriate manpower and satisfy our needs for people to handle all the menial tasks?
Our present situation, which made us to look for helping hands abroad, was the result of accumulations from the past and the absence of the work culture in a large segment of our society.
We did not open the doors to such jobs before our sons and daughters because we were eager to place them in top positions, whether in the government or the private sector. We wanted all of them to be managers.
Many of us fell in this trap and remained there until the specter of unemployment started to show its ugly face. We woke up only to find that a large number of our sons and daughters are incapable of performing jobs that have been filled by expatriates.
The economic booms this country has witnessed might also be among the causes of this situation. Today the circumstances have changed. The work parameters have also changed. We have to adapt to these changes in a realistic manner and to reform our own lifestyle and that of our children.
We have to look at the future in a different manner and try to change our work ethics and cultures in a way that suits us the best.
The ultimate solution, however, lies in education in all its forms, especially technical and vocational training, the lack of which is responsible for our current situation.
Many convictions have changed. A large number of young Saudi men and women have started doing manual work and have achieved remarkable success, which we never expected of them. This means we have the ability if there is the will. Every job is an honest job and will not belittle our sons and daughters nor will it undermine their dignity or position in society.
Lastly, I request everyone to allow expatriates to do their work without hassle. I also ask for paving the way for the future of our young men and women without fear or hesitation.
We should stop crying over spilt milk and instead start laying down the bricks for the success of our sons and daughters who will ultimately be able to perform all the manual and technical jobs that are now in the hands of expatriates.
