The development witnessed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the past 40 years is unparalleled anywhere in the world. No doubt this can be attributed to a number of factors. The first of them is the bounty of oil which burst out of the Kingdom’s soil and for which the world was in dire need. Then there is the wise leadership which exploited the oil wealth to develop the country.
The third factor is the foreign manpower which came from various parts of the world to contribute to our country’s construction and progress. These expatriates consisted of doctors, engineers, technicians, laborers and others. Without them, the country would never has reached its present level of advancement.
I am surprised and baffled by some writers and journalists who from time to time launch campaigns against expatriates. They criticize and attack them for the remittances they make to their respective countries.
Expatriate workers have sweated and suffered in order to be able to send some money back home to assist their families and to secure the future of their children, Furthermore, there is no way for them to invest their savings in the Kingdom. I do not know how those who criticize expatriates think and what they expect from those who have left their family and home behind to bear the pains of homesickness and the difficulties of living in a country which is not their own. Expatriate workers offer their labor, education and expertise in exchange for some money that may help them live decently and provide for their families.
Do those who criticize expatriates believe that our country would have developed and progressed without them? Is it not a sign of gallantry and nobility to be grateful and to appreciate those who have contributed to the development of the Kingdom?
There are a number of people, including medical doctors, engineers, technicians and workers, who came to this country and spent the prime time of their life in it. They worked for the development of the Kingdom until they reached the age of retirement. Some expatriates have spent 20, 30 or 40 years in the Kingdom working hard to achieve its development.
These people should not be treated the same as those who have spent two or three years here and then left. Many expatriates came to our country when they were young and stayed among us until the age of retirement. They are now about to leave either because they are no longer able to work or their jobs have been Saudized or for other reasons.
These expatriates must be honored and we must express our appreciation for the services they have provided to our country. We want them to return home with positive feelings about this country and its people. We want them to be real ambassadors for us instead of leaving our country frustrated and exasperated because their efforts were not appreciated.
I am writing this article after having attended a function organized by the league of the graduates of Aligarh Islamic University of India to bid farewell to two graduates who have spent about 39 years in the Kingdom.
I attended the farewell party because I am myself a graduate of this university which was established by the social reformer, political thinker, legal expert, writer and biographer Syed Ahmed Khan about 137 years ago. There are about 3,000 graduates of this university currently working in the Kingdom. They include medical doctors, engineers, accountants and others.
At the function, I sat near a medical consultant in a rare specialty. I understood from him that he has worked in the Kingdom for more than 25 years and is planning to retire and return home to work in social and charity fields. He said he would always have soft feelings toward this country and its people and would love to come back to the Kingdom as a visitor or an Umrah pilgrim. He wished that this could be made possible for him.
As a Saudi citizen who worked in the Saudi diplomatic corps for more than 40 years and who spent more than half of these years abroad in various countries, I know very well the importance of gaining the friendship of people who have worked long years in the Kingdom. They will transport to their countries the feelings of love and the good impressions that they have about our country.
I would like to propose to Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, deputy premier and minister of interior, that expatriates who have spent long years in the Kingdom be granted special medals or merit certificates that will give them the right to visit the Kingdom at any time and to obtain free-of-charge visit visas from Saudi embassies or consulates. By so doing, we can make expatriates real friends of the Kingdom.
Source: Saudi Gazette
