Triple masterstrokes
THE decision taken by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Anas Al-Saleh to allow those in violation of the residency law to exit the country during this month of April is a sound and wise decision as far as the matter in hand is concerned.
The decision entails that the violators of the residency laws of Kuwait are able to exit the country without bearing any financial expenses such as payment of fines incurred from staying illegally in country and the travel costs, all of which will be borne by the government, in addition to the possibility of their return to Kuwait legally to work.
Thousands of these violators presented themselves at centers designated by Ministry of Interior for registration as a preliminary step towards their exit.
The state and its security, health and livelihood apparatuses are suffering these days due to the pressure caused by the infamous coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
However, the wisest decision that the state needed to take in the past, which the Minister of Interior had also mentioned, is the decision concerning the violators of residency laws whose residency permits were not registered under the establishments where they work.
In fact, this category of violators are registered to work in commercial or agricultural establishments which are mostly dummy entities that issue work visas to these expatriates, and then throw them out on the street to fend for themselves as well as their families back in their home countries so that their families can have better living standards.
However, the Kuwaiti nationals who provide such opportunities aren’t doing so for the sake of the Most Gracious but they do it to earn financial returns and royalty on a yearly or even monthly basis by milking from the sweat of such expatriates for enabling them to enter “paradise” in Kuwait.
Without any question, this is undoubtedly human trafficking which neither the Creator nor His creation approve. It is also a blatant violation of the laws, international treaties, human right principles and even upright moral standards.
Worst of all, this crime involves state employees who conspire, or rather are instrumental, in committing this heinous crime by facilitating it or turning a blind eye to the wicked Kuwaitis involved in human trafficking.
If these government employees hadn’t turned a blind eye to such improper transactions, the phenomenon of human trafficking wouldn’t have existed in this country.
We feel the heat of the matter whenever we – employers and heads of households – intend to recruit employees of any domain, from the way we are treated by employees in charge
of such recruitment process, let alone the fact that the issuance of visit visas and residency visas for citizens of some countries is not allowed unless approved by the minister. And here is where the nightmare, known by many, gets real in terms of approval or denial of our requests, which usually ends up being rejected.
Therefore we say to our brother Anas Al-Saleh, the Minister of Interior – We will salute you, and your name will be inscribed in the history of upright ministers – the achievers – if you manage to deport those under the sponsorship of dummy establishments, and if you take a tough stance against the visa traders and those helping them within your well-guided government.
Definitely, this will be recorded as “triple masterstrokes (coup de maitre)”, and leaves us to wonder – Will you honor us with this glamorous accomplishment? And when will that happen?