I read with great interest the article “Expatriates born in Saudi Arabia” (Dec. 1) by Abdulateef Al-Mulhim. I fully endorse his views. He is perhaps few of the Saudi writers who recognize the situation in Saudi Arabia and has come up with a very balanced approach. It is true that Saudi Arabia, like any other country in the world, will always require the services of foreign labor force due to its continuously expanding infrastructure and booming and stable economy. The prevailing mindset of throwing all expatriates out of the Kingdom in the name of Saudization will affect the country in the long run.

I do agree that action should be taken against illegal expatriates but treating all the foreigners in the same way is not such a nice thing to do. As a matter of fact, the ongoing drive against expatriates has created unwarranted fears among them, which is hampering their overall productivity. Due to these unnecessarily strict labor policies, talented people are avoiding trying their luck in the Kingdom and moving to Dubai and elsewhere instead. This is not a healthy trend. I do agree that the younger generation of Saudis is educated and have the ability to manage the country’s economy but Saudi Arabia is a huge country and it is continuously expanding unlike countries such as Singapore, Brunei or the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Even these countries are continuously relaxing their labor policies in the interest of the foreign talent. So, why is Saudi Arabia acting exactly the opposite? It has the potential to become the industrial and economic hub in the region. To achieve this goal, any country would need foreign talent or workforce. I urge the relevant authorities to think the long-term consequences of the current labor policies in the greater good of Saudi Arabia.