Do you want the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth or do you want only half the truth? This is a question asked by those who want to tell the truth but fear doing so may displease the person to whom they are speaking. The truth, as we know, is sometimes not what we want to hear and for this reason, people may be hesitant about stating it.
These observations come on the heels of a recent decision by the Ministry of Labor. The decision forbade employers from forcing their workers to pay for renewing iqamas (residence permits), getting exit-reentry visas or paying other government charges. The ministry said it would monitor the situation closely and take action based on the complaints it receives.
I must assume that the ministry wants to know the whole truth, unattractive as it may be, and not just half the truth. I therefore am telling them that with or without their decision, most expatriate workers will continue to pay from their own pockets the very fees which the ministry tells us should be paid by employers. The reason is a simple one: If the workers want to remain here, they have no choice.
Need forces them to pay the price of these items. Even expatriates in such professions as doctors, engineers, technicians and others will not get an iqama or an exit-reentry visa unless they pay from their own pockets. Not only that, they pay more than the fees stipulated on the application form. An exception may be domestic servants but even these are manipulated by recruitment offices which withhold work permits unless payment is received.
The problem that the ministry must face in any investigation is impossible to solve. The worker cannot honestly claim to have been forced to pay the charges. In fact, he gave the money to his sponsor who then conveyed it to the proper office or government department. How then can the worker say he has been forced to pay when in fact he “voluntarily” gave his sponsor the money?
Before fuming with rage and issuing threats, the ministry should first make sure it has the mechanisms and means that will enable it know the whole truth rather than only half of it. And then, the ministry must be prepared to act on that whole, often unpleasant, truth.
