Expats take it all By Muna Al-Fuzai It is really becoming awkward and certainly not laudatory these days to point a finger towards the expatriates, blaming them for the so-called demographic imbalance in Kuwait. For those who think the expats are the ones behind this skew in the population structure, I need to say that they are completely wrong. It is also unfair to blame those who have been here throughout history and have been partners in building this country’s economy. In the early days, before oil was discovered in Kuwait, some expats, both Arabs and Indians, used to come to Kuwait for work and exploring new fields of business. At that time, no luxuries beckoned anyone towards Kuwait and people used to come from even countries that happened to be rich and highly advanced when compared to us, like India and Egypt. They came to live in Kuwait and established their families here. Their businesses struck roots here for more than half a century. Of course, they did benefit financially but they also gave their life, time and efforts so far away from their own homeland. They adopted Kuwait as their new land, a country in the middle of a desert. So, trying to look down upon the same expats now and claiming that we should get rid of them should be a matter of shame for anyone. Those who think expats are the reason for this improper population skew are ignorant of Kuwait’s history and its development over the years; they know not how countries become bigger and stronger. All decent expats come to Kuwait via sponsors, so when things go wrong we should look for these sponsors who could be individuals or companies. It is the sponsors who should be held accountable and not the victims. When I hear officials talking against expats, I feel that they are simply unaware of the history of this country or what role the expats have played in the days of yore. When I see people being slapped with a travel ban on the assumption that they come from certain countries and would commit crimes here in our wonderland, I feel very sorry. I agree that some companies have misused the laws and the powers vested in them and brought in many expats who were not wanted. These were the expats who either had menial or no jobs, but then they are not the ones who could be held responsible for the demographic imbalance. Now, we are only sending out a rather poor image of Kuwait to the wider world by presenting it as a place where expats are not welcome. I can’t blame them. I think I need to apologize for all the misleading arguments being hurled around these days in Kuwait against the expats and the fact that they are being made to bear the blame for all the troubles we face. By Muna Al-Fuzai
Posted on: Wed, 12 Jun 2013 10:10:13 +0000
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