By TCN News,
Hyderabad: Hyderabad based Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee (CLMC) has written an open letter to King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, urging him to stop harassing its workers, reminding them that primarily it was with the help of this cheap labour for decades that the country developed so fast.
CLMC has expressed its deep concern over the Saudi government’s new labour policy and the implementation of new rules and laws because of which lakhs of foreign employees are severely suffering.
Full text:
To,
King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud,
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,
Riyadh.
Sub: Stop arresting, harassment of foreign employees and workers working in Saudi Arabia –
bring reforms in your labour policy to facilitate foreign workers and employees – Reg.
Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee express its deep concern over the Saudi government’s new labour policy and the implementation of new rules and laws because of which lakhs of foreign employees are severely suffering. This committee also expresses its anguish that the Saudi government without going through the practical impact of its new policy is hurriedly and forcefully executing and arresting thousands of people who are employed there including women and children.
This committee reminds to the authorities of Saudi government that millions of foreign people who are working in your country in fact are serving your country on the cheap wages with the consent of your own citizens, whose Aqamas are always with the Saudi citizens who popularly are known as KAFIL and AAJIREEN. These Kafils and Aajireens are wealthy citizens of KSA and many belong to the ruling family. Instead of taking action against them or employers foreign people are troubled. Without the consent of Kafil or Employer no foreign employee can neither get employed nor can leave the employment. This fact is better known to the Saudi government. So, how can millions of employees vacate the country without the papers and passports which are held by the Kafil or employer? If the government of KSA is serious and honest in their action, they have to first act against the Kafil or employer for illegal employment or excess employment etc. Under any circumstances, the employees’ or servants’s interests should not be affected.
The Saudi authorities should first prepare their own citizens to work and serve their country and after that it is advisable to remove the foreign workers by replacing their own citizens. But unfortunately, Saudi authorities without doing any such exercise, have issued orders to provide employment to Saudi citizens according to new labour policy. The amazing thing is that the Saudi people do not have knowledge of work and if at all they have knowledge they do not agree to work on minimum wages, as the foreign people are working as labour, teachers, workers etc. From the news received from the past two days, all the work has been suspended due to non-availability of people working in different sectors such as schools, industries, offices etc. Does the Saudi government have any solution for the rising problems due to the new labour policy?
This committee believes that the new labour policy of Saudi government is not fit under these circumstances and grave violations of human rights are taking place under the garb of this new labour policy. The news coming from the Saudi Arabia, thousands and thousands of people are detained and lakhs of people have been indoors due to fear of arresting, their basic civic rights are being violated.
Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee directly questions the king of Saudi Arabia, whether being as American allies in fighting terror and after losing everything, due to which poverty and unemployment has increased, is this the only way to stabilize your kingdom. This committee suggests the king of Saudi Arabia to think about his government policies by keeping in view of Arab heritage and Islamic culture and also the path shown by the Prophet Mohammed who has preached that one should protect and respect others rights including servants.
This committee also reminds the king of Saudi Arabia, under ‘The Basic Law of governance’ article 7 & 8 which says that Article 7: The authority of the regime is derived from the Holy Qur’an and the prophet’s Sunnah which rule over this and all other state laws. Article 8: The system of governance in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia is based on justice, consultation “Shoura” and equality according to the Islamic Shari’ah (the law of islam). The government of Saudi Arabia is violating its own laws.
Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee appeals to the king of Saudi Arabia to intervene into the situation as it has become humanitarian crisis and order the ministries and concerned authorities to suspend the new labour policy at this moment to provide relief to the foreign employees and reinstate their employment to restore the normalcy in your own kingdom. Instead of harassing the foreigners, question the employers who are taking people on employment illegally and on low wages. First set your own house then think of setting right other people.
Lateef Mohammed Khan
Gen. Secretary
CLMC