Turki Al-Dakheel

Al-Riyadh

 

DURING the past few days, I met with a number of people from different countries who worked in Saudi Arabia. They were from Canada, the US, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. They were unanimous that the Kingdom was a source of good income for them during important phases of their lives. They said this income was a blessing which they continued to enjoy.



I strongly believe that those who came for work in the Kingdom made significant contributions to the process of nation-building, whether they worked in the private or public sectors. No matter how small the roles they had played, these roles were critical to the progress of our country. The income these people had made in the Kingdom gave our counry a good image.



A few days ago I was coming out of the international lounge at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. The airport was crowded with arriving and departing passengers. Long queues could be seen at the desks of the Passports Department officials who were performing their duties feverishly despite being obviously undermanned.



A passport official was trying to explain to an Asian worker that he should show his boarding pass and his passport.



He used Arabic and English but it was clear that the worker did not understand so he started yelling at his face repeating his demands.



I later commented that I appreciate the efforts of the passport officials who, as individuals, should not be blamed because they are understaffed.



This is happening before the vacation season, so what will the situation be like when the season begins? I asked the passport official to be patient and to appreciate that some passengers are not able to communicate either in Arabic or English. Most of these foreign workers are poor and weak people who are shouldering the burdens of poverty and homesickness. They have come to our country to sustain themselves and many other hungry mouths back home.



The passport and the custom officials are the first people who give a picture of our country, its people and culture. Passport and custom officials are under immense pressure because they are usually understaffed. It is the responsibility of the top officials to provide adequate number of officers at the airport counters, and to be lenient with the passengers and deal with them nicely with smiling faces.



Finally, I want to remind the passport official who yelled at the poor Asian worker that raising his voice will not solve the problem. It will only relieve him of some of his anger but will not solve the problem.

A smile and nice treatment will have magical effects on the passengers.