Hafiz divided unemployed Saudis into two groups. The first group is happy to have been accepted in the program, even though some of them could not meet all its requirements. The second group will not receive a Hafiz payment, even when they met all demands announced on the Ministry of Labor website.
Salma Saleh is the alias of a Saudi woman who gained the opportunity to get paid through Hafiz while she is working part-time at King Abdulaziz University. “I am working at the university as a teacher without a contract. I registered for Hafiz and I think they accepted me because they don’t have any proof of my job,” she said.
Saleh knows she is being dishonest and she is not the only one who lies. “Most of my colleagues did the same thing. The electronic website couldn’t expose us. Seven of the part-time teachers tried to register for Hafiz. Five have been accepted.”
Khadija Al-Qurashi, another Saudi housewife, said Hafiz is an ‘unfair program’.
“My sister and I decided to register. My sister is 37 years old and I am 35. Hafiz accepted my sister, even though the Labor Ministry defined the acceptable age of the unemployed between 20 and 35 years old,” she said. “The same mistake happened with my niece and her colleagues.”
Al-Qurashi said such mistakes encouraged all people to register for Hafiz, even when they did not meet the requirements.
A Saudi man, who prefers to remain anonymous, received a monthly payment of SR840 from the Ministry of Social Affairs. He registered for Hafiz to increase his salary and gain more money. He claimed he would receive only SR1,160.
His sister, however, also received a financial aid to the amount of SR840 from the Ministry of Social Affairs. When she registered for Hafiz, she was assigned SR2,000.
“My sister and I have the same bad financial status. Both of us are unemployed and needy, but Hafiz gave my sister more money without a logical reason. It’s just a game of chance,” he said.
Diaa Suliman, a Saudi woman who graduated from King Abdulaziz University during the summer, heard that her colleagues had registered for Hafiz and they had been accepted. She followed her colleagues’ lead, but luck didn’t smile on her.
“My request has been refused because I am freshly graduated. Only students who have graduated six months ago or more are eligible for Hafiz payment. My colleagues had not yet exceeded the six-month period, but they still got the payment,” Suliman said.
Suliman thinks the Hafiz program lacks in accuracy. “It’s unfair when many benefit from Hafiz and don’t actually need it, while the truly needy are still waiting for God to bless them,” she said.
Some would prefer the registration process for Hafiz not to take place online.
“I suggest the Ministry of Labor should hire a number of committees in charity organizations and offices. These committees should receive the unemployed, check their information and ensure that only needy people who meet the ministry requirements will get paid,” said Hasan Bakhsh, a Saudi banking employee.
“Computers and electronic programs cannot check people’s information. Now luck is playing a very important role in choosing people for Hafiz.”
