From an email from M Haque

Living here for long, like many others without having a hope or aspiration to be naturalized as Saudi, but having a secured job, majority of us hoped for a continuation until the contract ends. But this hope has started shattering, rather a bizarre situation started to prevail very recently. Fear and frustration engulfed all of us. Millions of Bangladeshis living in Saudi Arabia passing days in a complete uncertainties. We do not know when and how we may have to abort our stay and return home completely unaware and unprepared.

Many in Riyadh, whose shops, specially the metal scrap shops were sealed off by the police, having hundred of thousands riyal worth of goods inside. Many in fear, closed their shops and went home with a longer re-entry visa.
Those who had to go, as they were picked up from the streets completely unwarranted, leaving behind their years hard earned capital and profits and now passing days and nights in agony whether they can return. If at all can return will they be able to gain control of their assets.

The majority who works in medium size organizations or establishments living with a growing fear, if they are sent back all on a sudden as the news spreads, what they are going to do back home. If they are picked up on the street and bundled in the prison van, their bank account or belongings back in the accommodation will be lost. It is perceived that, since there is no official confirmation, in Makkah alone 20 thousand people have been hoarded in the prison including families with children.

Parents whose children, boy or girl, reached the age of 18 remain utter frustrated if their son or daughter permit is not renewed, if they are asked to pack, some of them are about to appear in HSC and A Level exam, what will happen to their exam and where they are going to stay back home, while their parents may have to continue to make for the living. Few such cases happened in Jeddah. Strange enough children are being teased or insulted by their own classmates from other countries in their schools.
It is totally a bizarre situation and no respite appears in the close horizon.

It is more than two months now, since the incident of stealing, rape and killing cases started appearing repeatedly in the press.

Drug trafficking , rape and kill, breaking in, stealing all we have been hearing for years, committed by the different nationals, but the propaganda and media attention was never ever in such a dimension. Government was, as committed, with its iron fist punished the perpetrators. Never ever a collective punishment theory evolved from any of the previous crime including the sever drug trafficking.

The handful of staff, in our consulate or embassy, who have been entrusted to look after the affairs of the biggest community of cash supplier in the financial record of the national treasury, either remain oblivious to the situation or extremely inefficient to judge the impact and the veracity of the problem.
At least they could have initiated a minimum dialogue with the aggrieved or the section of the general workers, to alert or warn them of their unscrupulous activities. That could warrant both sides of the current.
Their years of inactions and inept position today lead them no where. They couldn’t even organize a media event, no wonder the skill have been completely lacking. Such is our plight.

The government seems failing to recoup to the earlier status of relations. Only a few months back this is the country who donated highest amount of fund to our flood and SIDR effected people.
Today our sufferings in their own neighborhood, our grievances, not only being ignored but we are looked down by the whole society.
Saudi Arabia’s religion, its politics, its culture is chastised by many back home, their cynical attitude, government’s incapacitated position, and the bigger population here (in Saudi) who mainly inherited the attitude from our political culture and broke up the chain of social commands, to put the whole community and the nation down under.
Millions of poor families who mainly depends on the remittance; local producers and manufacturers, builders who look up to the purchasing power of the expat families, national budget await the transfers from these poor workers, all will be at a shamble if our system again fail to meet the general expectation.

Blaming the Saudi society or the competing labour suppliers will only hasten the fall of emerging hope of million of families. Putting our thought together to make an effective solution is the only way out.

M Haque
Jeddah