I wanted to write a word or two in defense of expatriates. So to begin with, I did some research. I found that the word “expatriate” means someone who, for whatever reason, is not living in his or her native country. Here in the Kingdom there are thousands — even millions — of expatriates. They are doing a wide variety of jobs ranging from those requiring specialized education and training to others requiring almost very few skills.
Some of us in Saudi Arabia like to blame the large numbers of expatriates living here for many of our country’s problems. And there is no doubt that some problems are caused by expatriates and there is no denying that some expatriates are criminals. Causing problems and being criminals, however, are human faults and failings. They are not confined to any ethnic, religious or national group. The vast majority of expatriates in the Kingdom are not interested in causing problems or in criminal behavior. They have come here to work and gain the means to support themselves and their families. In doing so, they endure long separations from their loved ones and their homelands.
I must address a few remarks to those who say that expatriates are responsible for many of our problems. I ask them how these expatriates came here. And why? Everyone knows who brought the expatriates — brain surgeons as well as street sweepers — into the Kingdom. Saudis brought them here; there is no other way for them to enter the Kingdom legally. (Those who are here illegally are beyond the scope of this article.) Now that takes care of how the expatriates came here; the “why” is a bit more complicated.
Initially, they were brought here to do jobs which Saudis were either unable or unwilling to do. In the past, there were many jobs which Saudis were not qualified to do. Certain jobs had to be done in the name of progress and development so expatriates were hired to do them. Let me emphasize that the operative phrase here is “in the past.” It is no longer true that there are no trained or qualified Saudis to do most jobs. The Kingdom has numerous schools, institutes, colleges and universities whose job it is to produce trained and qualified Saudis who should move into many jobs currently held by expatriates. After all, charity begins at home and there is no justification in employing an expatriate if there is a willing, able and well-qualified Saudi to do the job. The surprising thing is that today, after some 50 years of education and training, Saudi businessmen continue to lament — rightly or wrongly — the lack of willing, able and well-qualified Saudis. (Another interesting topic but again, beyond the scope of this article.)
We now come to the matter of jobs which Saudis were — and sometimes still are — unwilling to do. Many of them involve hard physical labor or working in a service occupation. Construction site workers are an example of the former and waiters the latter. These jobs often carry little prestige and also what is considered low pay. I will be the first to admit that I don’t want to do those jobs; I prefer to pay someone else and let them have the bother. That is not to suggest that I am above such work; it simply indicates that I am fortunate enough to be able to pay someone to do what I don’t want to do. What all of us must never lose sight of is that those jobs are honest work and those who do them are as entitled to our respect as any nuclear physicist. Those jobs in fact are often more vital and necessary to our daily well-being than anything done by a nuclear physicist. If there were no one to do them, life would be much more unpleasant than it sometimes is. Many of us can remember not so long ago when suddenly there was no garbage collection in Jeddah. It was not long before everybody was aware of the problem and the dangers of leaving filth and rubbish lying in the streets. If a bank president with three telephones on his desk and a mobile in each pocket did not do his job, the bank might very well be inconvenienced and unable to function but neither public health nor public well-being would be affected. On the other hand, when garbage is not removed from the streets, it is quite another story. But what if there were an electrical problem in the bank president’s large and expensively-furnished office? Or what if the office needed painting? Or his car needed an oil-change or had a flat tire? We all know the chances of Saudis doing those jobs. Let us be clear: Being able to pay to have a job done is a blessing but it is not the same as being able to do that job.
Whether we like it or not, whether we agree or not, the simple truth is that for the most part, expatriates have built the outward physical manifestations of Saudi Arabia — in other words, what we normally point to as signs of our modernity and development. Their hard work, their sweat and their skills have provided us with houses, roads, schools, hospitals, airports and even, at the beginning, the very oil industry which made everything else possible. True as this is, we should not forget that it is our duty, our obligation and our privilege to acquire the skills, knowledge and qualifications necessary to develop the Kingdom and move it forward. Once we have done so, no doubt many expatriates will leave and then we shall see how many of the country’s problems are eliminated and how many remain.