http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7§ion=0&article=65970&d=27&m=6&y=2005
Monday, 27, June, 2005 (20, Jumada al-Ula, 1426)
Improving the Image of Saudi Arabia: What Citizens Can Do
Wohaib Abdul Fatah Sufi, Arab News
The Saudi Labor Ministry has, reportedly, penalized 24 Saudis who
ill-treated expatriates working for them. The licenses issued by the ministry
to these employers to recruit and employ foreign workers have been canceled.
The move illustrates the ministry's determination to guarantee fair treatment
to expatriates and to implement the provisions of the labor regulations - such
as that workers should be paid without delay and they should not be subjected
to physical or any other ill treatment. In addition, Saudis are not allowed to
employ workers who are not under their sponsorship. The labor minister deserves
to be commended for his efforts to alter the bad reputations many Saudi
employers have. Their behavior has given the country a bad name and we do not
need to face such charges from human rights organizations, whether inside or
outside the country.
Despite this progress, there are other steps to be taken which could also
improve the country's image. A ministry alone can do little to repair the
damage inflicted by our fellow citizens. What is required is concerted and
dedicated efforts by all ministries and by all citizens as well.
Giving respect to others is a basic factor in building a good image.
Several of us have, apparently, forgotten this important fact to the point that
we ourselves hardly command any respect from others. The instances of not
respecting others are everywhere in our daily lives. A look rather than a
search will uncover many transgressions.
For example, go to a bank or a government office. Expatriates will be
seen, standing in an orderly line, waiting their turn to be served. A Saudi
comes in, ignores them completely and goes to the front of the line for no
reason other than that all those waiting are expatriates. Any protest from the
expatriates will of course be ignored. Look at a government clinic and let us
say that the doctor on duty is examining an expatriate. Some Saudis get
impatient and make derogatory remarks about the doctor simply because he is
trying to do his best for the expatriate.
The way some Saudi employers treat their workers reminds one of the worst
aspects of slavery. Many expatriates are deported simply because they refuse to
accept the arbitrary and unjust conditions imposed by employers. Many prefer to
employ workers from the poorest countries since those workers, the employers
believe, will accept without protest any kind of humiliation and ill treatment.
Some of us Saudis, though not all of us, even feel superior to other
Arabs. An instance is in telephonic singing competitions conducted by some
media companies.
Of course, a Saudi wins the competition but only after wasting large sums
of money. Recently there was a revealing cartoon in a Saudi newspaper. It
featured a Saudi followed by an expatriate who was smoking a cigarette.
The Saudi is grumbling that expatriate workers are parasites, sucking
blood and getting rich at the expense of nationals. There is no need for
additional examples to illustrate my point.
Our image abroad has been further tarnished by fast growing media
facilities, such as satellite channels and Internet. They present a very bad
image of us and spread false or exaggerated stories about us everywhere. Thank
God, our local newspapers are not reluctant to publish bad reports about us and
discuss issues frankly so that such shortcomings can be addressed and remedied.
We need to realize that Almighty God has blessed us with immense wealth
while many other countries are in dire economic straits. But for their poverty,
people in those countries would not have come here. They want us to understand
their humanitarian problems. They will never respect us if we condescend to
them and treat them contemptuously. It is always better for us to earn the good
opinion of others and get their cooperation even though they are poor and
uneducated. The efforts of a government cannot be effective unless we get
cooperation from others. I remember that while we were studying in the US, we
Saudis had a students' club. Some club members insisted that no one from other
Arab or Muslim countries be invited to our club functions and if we had to
invite any of them, they had to be from other Gulf countries. Such behavior
will only alienate other Arabs from us. When Saddam's army occupied Kuwait, we
were in great need of support from other Arabs and Muslims in the US. Most of
them, however, refused to participate in our protests. This was clearly because
we never bothered to build good relations with our fellow Arabs and Muslims. In
our affluence and mistaken notions of superiority, we kept them away and never
thought much of them. As a result, we had to learn a very painful lesson. O
God, grant that we do not have to learn such lessons again!
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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Berdikusi dg Santun & Elegan, dg Semangat Persahabatan. Menuju Indonesia yg
Lebih Baik, in Commonality & Shared Destiny. www.ppi-india.org
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