This has reference to the news item “Citizenship for expats can solve labor issues” by Abdul Ghafour, commenting on columnist Khalaf Al-Harbi’s article.
The points raised by columnist Al-Harbi are worth pondering. He writes, “Because of our arrogance and our excessive sensitivity toward strangers, the foreigners living in this country have become isolated from society.” This truth if understood by the new generation, the widening gap between the expats and citizens can be bridged. It is true that expats are nervous to mingle freely with locals; a kind of mistrust exists. Saad Al-Dosari’s article “Behind the wall” in Arab News (April 1) evokes similar thoughts. Al-Dosari expresses his dismay over the division that exists when he wrote, “It is a shame really, to have someone living for years in a country and the only thing he or she could describe in details is the shape of the compound’s walls!”
If we log in to the site of a reputed bank to pay the government service fee like iqama renewal, exit re-entry visa etc, we have to click a link marked as “Alien Control.” This view should be changed, expatriates are not aliens, they are a part of this great nation, serving this great country and at the same time saving for their family.
It is heartening to note that there exists a section of writers and thinkers who realize the importance of expatriate community and express it openly and courageously. By their writings, there could be a change in the thought and attitude among the new generation of this wonderful land, many of whom look expatriates as aliens. — A.S. Ansar, Shuqaiq, Jazan
Expats are not aliens
