This is in response to the report “Long working hours, low salaries keep Saudis away from private sector jobs” (March 1). This is not a healthy sign. One has to rough it out to gain something in life. I believe that the trend of giving preference to jobs in the public sector just on the basis of the easy routine and good package is not good. Everybody wants the best in life but for that one needs to do hard work. Life is not a bed of roses. Apart from that if everybody is hired by the government sector, who will work for the private sector? It is equally important for the growth of any country.

This mindset is the mother of all evils in society. The report must set alarm bells ringing among the policymakers and the Saudi intelligentsia. If Saudi Arabia wishes to excel in all spheres of life and enter into the league of the developed nations, it must revisit its current labor policies toward the local population. On one hand, Saudi authorities are coming up with all sorts of ideas to get rid of the expatriate workforce in the private sector and on the other; the Saudis are not willing to fill in for the vacuum that will consequently be produced. I am an expatriate who is fully aware of the fact that I have no future whatsoever in this country. But I always try my level best to work hard and contribute to the economy of my host country as long as I stay.

I fear that if this situation is not taken care of at an early stage, the Kingdom will never be able to use its huge potential.

Ramesh Kumar

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