JEDDAH, 13 February 2005 — There’s a slowdown on the road to Saudization as the Ministry of Labor takes a detour, expat limousine drivers drive slow and angry Saudi cabbies try to move forward while women passengers appear happy that things aren’t going too fast.
Since Labor Minister Dr. Ghazi Al-Gosaibi announced the three-year postponement of nationalization of the limousine business on Friday because there weren’t enough interested Saudis to Saudize, there has been a traffic jam of public opinion on the topic, so much so that Arab News took to the street to try and unsnarl the many divergent viewpoints that are idling — and going nowhere fast.
The postponement came as a shock to many Saudi who were optimistic that if the decision was enforced, many jobs would be created for them. Even among the Saudis, there was mixed reaction about the extension decision. Some were angry, saying that such a decision will not serve Saudis. They described it as an injustice to them because they believe that they can do the job. Others were against it because for foreign drivers, it’s their only means of supporting their families back home.
But it’s also making it hard for some Saudis to support their families right here.
“It’s because of the foreign drivers that we are losing a lot of money in the business,” said Sami Al-Juhani, a limousine driver. “With the three-year delay, the limousine business will be unprofitable. I spent SR60,000 buying a limousine car, and I’m still making installment payment. They harm our business because they charge cheap fares.”
“When we, limousine drivers, heard about the decision to fully Saudize the industry, we were happy because finally we would be able to work without facing competition from foreign workers,” said Saad Al-Sulaimi, who has worked as a limousine driver for many years. “The decision to delay Saudization came as a surprise to many of us and disappointed many others.”
He said it wasn’t too late to rethink the delay. “The Ministry of Labor should know that this decision will not help Saudis in any way. We are the people of this country, and we care about it. They work here, and they transfer all the money they earn in our country abroad and damage our economy. The decision should be reviewed and enforced again.”
But amid the hue and cry of the Saudi drivers who want the ministry to smooth out the bumps in the road, for some reason, many of the customers prefer the foreign drivers.
“Most of the time, we dress in foreign clothes just to look like foreigners in order to get customers,” said Al-Sulaimi.
Apparently, many women are pleased that the ministry slowed down the pace of Saudization in this field.
“I make it a point not to get into a taxi if the driver is Saudi because I don’t trust them,” said Zahra Ahmadi. “Three years is not long enough to change mentalities that have been around for ages. I depend on taxis. So what is this? More obstacles to keep us home?”
Umm Fahd, a mother of three, said there was a time when she could trust a driver because he was Saudi. He knew the boundaries of decency and knew that if he made a wrong a move, his family or tribe would hear about it.
“That was a different generation,” she said. “The younger generation of men does not know a thing. I say this as one who has run into bad situations with Saudi taxi drivers — I’m no flirty tart of a woman giggling in the back seat.”
Some said Saudi taxi drivers are more prone to propositioning their female customers, playing romantic music and acting “cute.”
“I avoid using taxis with Saudi drivers,” said Ola Nasser. “That’s because of the ogling they do in the mirror. They think you are loose and out there for the taking just because you are taking a taxi.”
She recounted an instance of a Saudi taxi driver getting angry because she did not respond to his supposed politeness of asking too many questions.
“Maybe women would feel differently if local taxis had a separating window between the driver and the back seat and a meter,” said Samer Ghazi , 27-year old Saudi media employee. “More professionalism would mean fewer personal problems.”
Several women said that one of the reasons they preferred non-Saudi limo-drivers is that if and when there was a customer complaint there was more chance for justice taking place against a foreign driver than against a Saudi driver.
“When my friends and I used to take taxis home from the university, we’d only choose a non-Saudi,” said Rowa Ziyad, a graduate of King Abdul Aziz University. “We’d note the taxi number should we need to complain. If the driver was Saudi and anything bad happened, we would have less chance of getting anything done about it. There is a reluctance to prosecute Saudis rather than non-Saudis.”
As you may recall, this story is about trying to create some more driving jobs for unemployed Saudis. “I fed, dressed, educated and married off all my children from driving my taxi. I drove women, men Saudi and non-Saudi,” said Abu Abdul Aziz, a Saudi senior citizen and retired taxi driver. “We treated others like our own family, our sisters, mothers, daughters and wives. Now brothers, husbands and father do not even treat their own kin properly no wonder they mistreat other people’s women folk.”
Perhaps the academic community can shed a little light on the issue.
“It is not just culture, it is the mentality,” said Umm Muhammad, a woman professor at King Saud University. “If they want Saudization, then tackle the mentality — the rest is all technical and will follow automatically. Making a living is a mentality of professionalism, an attitude.”
You also can look at the problem from the economic standpoint, where sometimes market forces prevail over all.
“Maybe this is not the time to fully Saudize the limousine industry because there are not enough Saudi drivers in the market,” said Abdullah Al-Ahmadi, a Saudi limousine businessman.
“I’ve been in the business for 12 years, and I must tell you that it is a tough job. If the decision was enforced, then the number of limousine drivers will drop sharply, which will lower the supply of limousine drivers and increase the demand, which also will lead to an increase in the price,” said Al-Ahmadi.
“We have to put in mind that these limousine drivers are family people, too, with huge responsibilities. They are not earning enough money. I do face competition from them but this is how the market is.”
Al-Ahmadi says a Saudized limousine market will still behave like a market.
“If foreign drivers are out, then Saudis will compete with each other,” Al-Ahmadi said. “Then will we hear that Saudis are complaining about competition from Saudis, and they need to drive the other Saudis out of the market?”
No matter what perspective you favor, the limousine driver issue demonstrates that there can be many bumps along the road to Saudization, and unless you can come up with thousands of Saudis who want driving jobs, don’t expect the road to smooth out anytime soon.
“It is not just about getting behind the wheel and taking over,” said Umm Muhammad with a hint of sarcasm. “But then Saudi men already know that because they have been driving for years.”
