JEDDAH/RIYADH, 7 November — Saudi Arabia has welcomed foreigners for centuries. Millions upon millions have come as pilgrims to perform their religious duties. More recently others have come on work contracts. These latter are the expatriates, the "expats", for whom home has a double meaning — home back in Manila or Manchester and home in downtown Jeddah or a compound in Dhahran. They are here for a season then gone, although the season could be just a few weeks or as long as a lifetime. Of course, some of those visiting for Haj or Umrah chose to stay and reside in different parts of the Kingdom once they obtain job visas — the pilgrim turned expat.
The expats started coming in massive numbers as contract workers following Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd’s accession to the throne 20 years ago. That was the time when the Kingdom’s infrastructure development was in full swing and the inflow of foreign workers, both skilled and unskilled, both Muslim and non-Muslim, continued unabated. There are expats who came here three or four decades ago and are still here.
And the new ones continue to arrive in this potentially rich job market. Most of those coming from the developing world have found the Kingdom’s affluence and lifestyle sufficiently attractive to not want to leave the country until events forced them: they were either no more required by their employers or sponsors, or had to return home because of personal or family problems.
When asked, expats in different parts of the Kingdom all say they will take pleasant memories home when they finally leave Saudi Arabia. They attribute the presence of a large number of foreign workers to the generosity of the Kingdom under King Fahd’s rule. While some of them say they have definite plans to end their contracts at some particular point and go back home, there are others, especially Muslims, who say this is a God-sent opportunity to be in the Kingdom, the cradle of Islam.
Says Muhammad Sulaiman, a Bangladeshi academic: "I’ve absolutely no plans to return. I’ll go only when my employer no longer wants me. I would like to be here as long as possible so I can offer prayers in Makkah and Madinah as often as possible." Imtiaz Ismail, an Indonesian restaurant supervisor, concurs. "What has really made Muslim expats continue renewing their job contracts in the Kingdom is the nearness to the two holy cities," he says.
Muhammad Ali, an Indian who has lived in Jeddah since his arrival in 1978, says: "I’m a happy and contented man today as my family and I enjoy a lifestyle that I would not have possibly had back home. I began my career as a Saudi family driver. I saved my earnings and have contributed to the construction of two mosques in my home state of Kerala."
Muhammad Ali, who has worked in health care for more than ten years, adds: "The opening up of the investment sector in particular is an attractive and generous offer because even expatriates like me can now go in for property and other forms of investment here."
"This is the country where safety and security are at their best." This remark from an Egyptian journalist working with a leading Arabic newspaper is commonly echoed by other expats, whether Western, Middle Eastern, Subcontinental or Far Eastern. There are expats residing in the Kingdom for periods ranging up to 30 years and beyond.
Dr. Muhammad Z. Siddiqui, a Pakistani pharmacist based in Jeddah, says: "When I arrived way back in 1973, it used to take me six to eight hours to drive to Madinah from Jeddah seeing nearly a dozen road accidents on the way. Now it takes hardly three hours and accidents are rare. Today, the medical facilities available here are on par with the best in the West. These and other developments exemplify the Kingdom’s rapid all-round strides, especially its massive infrastructure, under King Fahd’s leadership and his personal interest in health care. It is the best of both worlds in terms of material and moral goals."
The Kingdom’s unprecedented infrastructural development in the past two decades is something that impresses Shahid Haider, a senior Pakistani accounts director in an advertising firm.
"I’ve been witness to the massive developments over the past 20 years. At personal level, I’ve benefited a great deal. My children have received the best education and I could settle them well. But the most satisfying aspect of my life is I’ve enabled a number of my relatives and friends to perform Haj."
Saleem Pervez, an Indian executive working in Riyadh for 16 years is of the same opinion: "The Kingdom has been transformed into a most modern state over the last two decades, which is comparable to any other developed country. It has given top priority to the health sector, establishing a number of world-class hospitals, which benefit both citizens and expats. There are no adequate words to describe the achievements of the Kingdom in the recent decades."
Herman Ritz, an Austrian manager of a soft drinks company in Riyadh, said: "The Kingdom today is a most modern nation in every sense of the word. What has been achieved is unmatched, in this century and in the history of man. This is a good country to do business and strengthen the commercial ties between the Kingdom and Europe. The country provides all facilities including a huge network of roads, adequate power generation and modern technology, a feat that has been achieved during the past two decades. The Kingdom continues to seek the best talent in the world."
The Kingdom’s recent move to allow expats to travel between cities just with a valid Iqama has been welcomed by most of the business executives. John Martin, a British senior executive in a courier company: "This is something we wholeheartedly welcome." The new rule replaces the old system in which an expatriate was required to carry a travel letter from his employer that had been certified by the Passport Department. Under the new system expatriates may move freely within the Kingdom as long as they have a valid Iqama.
Expatriates are particularly pleased not to have to pay tax on their incomes and that there are no restrictions on their remittances. According to a report, expat workers in the Kingdom transferred SR20.95 billion ($5.58 billion) to overseas accounts during the first seven months of this year. The amount accounts for 10 percent of the country’s total revenues and 3.5 percent of the gross domestic product.
"This is something unique to the Kingdom," Joe Graham, an American executive in a food company, remarked.
Naseem Kamran, a Pakistani site manager for a Riyadh construction company for over 24 years is yet another expat only too happy to work in the Kingdom: "King Fahd’s achievements especially in terms of aid and assistance extended to Muslims worldwide is singular and highly admirable." Muhammad Mounir, a Kenyan, and many other expats share this viewpoint.
The opinion shared by most of expats contacted is that they came to this country on one or two-year job contracts with the equivalent of just a few dollars in their wallets, when they return home for good they will go back to enjoy a new lifestyle and affluence.
