‘Not right to hire expats in fields where citizens can easily handle’
Foreigners should be fully aware of their duties, rights: MP
KUWAIT CITY, Aug 26: Member of Parliament Dr Jamaan Al-Harbash issued a statement on the employment contracts of expatriates; stressing that priority should be given to citizens in employment in the government sector, because it is wrong to have expatriates working in fields where citizens have the ability to do so and the government
must rectify this error, reports Al-Anba daily.
To support his argument, Al-Harbash cited many advertisements on the need for teachers in Kuwait University or the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET) and growing demand for contracting with members of the judicial authorities in other Arab countries, whereas many citizens are rejected for flimsy reasons. He said it is not permissible also to employ expatriates with the intention of benefiting from them in one way or another, which unfortunately, is the norm in some advisory positions in certain government bodies. In some positions, the citizen does not get the salary given to the expatriate despite having similar qualifications and job descriptions, he asserted.
“If news is true concerning those threatening to take international measures against Kuwait, it is necessary for the government to take political and legal stances; given that such people would not have dared take such action without political support from their governments,” AlHarbash added.
Despite Kuwait’s right in this regard, Al-Harbash stressed the importance of not transforming this issue into a launch pad for attacking the existence of expatriates or demeaning their contributions for this country and its people, or even overburdening them. “In Kuwait, there are three million expatriates living with us and they have similar living circumstances, which means they hear both the positive and negative statements we make about them. Among them are victims of ‘visa traders’ who have rendered them to work day and night in order to pay for their residency permits,” he narrated.
“It is imperative to start working seriously and transparently, and gradually remedy the outrageous faults found in the population structure. Priority in employment should be for citizens first, followed by Bedouns and then other Gulf and Arab nationals. This should be done in a well-studied manner which promises variety.
“Having huge number of some nationalities is a security and social threat; however, expatriates should live a good life by having actual jobs, not marginalized. From the day an expatriate enters Kuwait, he should be fully aware of his duties and rights,” the lawmaker explained.