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Discuss this article (19 Comments)Gulf Arabs 'lazy' and 'spoilt', blasts minister
by This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it on Monday, 28 January 2008
ASIAN TSUNAMI: Al-Alawi warned that the number of foreign workers in the Gulf could hit 30 million in the next ten years. (Getty Images)
A Bahraini minister has warned of an "Asian tsunami" because of the reliance of "lazy" Gulf Arabs on foreign labour to carry out even the simplest tasks, in an interview published on Sunday.
Labour Minister Majid Al-Alawi told Asharq Al-Awsat that the presence of almost 17 million foreign workers in the Gulf, mostly from the Asian sub-continent, represented "a danger worse than the atomic bomb or an Israeli attack".
"I am not exaggerating that the number will reach almost 30 million in ten years from now," he told the pan-Arab daily.
Al-Alawi has called for the residency of foreign workers in the oil-rich Gulf states to be limited to six years.
RELATED: Millions of expats could be kicked out of Gulf
However, Al-Alawi said the leadership of the six-nation GCC has not followed up on the proposal.
"The commercial lobby in the Gulf thwarted the project which was in the final phases before being implemented," he said.
Al-Alawi said that Gulf nationals were "lazy" and "spoilt", relying on imported labour for the simplest of tasks.
"A lord with billions in Great Britain cleans his own car on a Sunday morning, whereas people of the Gulf look for someone to hand them a glass of water from just a couple of metres away," he said.
"If the Gulf governments do not watch out for this tsunami of foreign labourers, the fate of this region is very worrying," he said.
In October, Al-Alawi called for the Gulf's "sponsonship" system to be abandoned, saying it left foreign workers at the mercy of the individuals or institutions which employ them.
He called for government to oversee visas and work permits to protect the rights of foreign workers, in a region which human rights organisations have often accused of abusing employees in slave-like conditions.
READERS' COMMENTS
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INDIA!!!
Posted by NAB, UK on Saturday 20 June 2009 at 04:41 UAE time
Mr. Rajendra, I am sick and tired of hearing this age old rant from Indians that India is becoming a super power very soon. And trust me i have been hearing from your mouths for the last thirty years!!
You are not even a power let alone a super power. 75% of Indians earn less than 2$ a day. YES 75% T AS FOR INDIA BECOMING A ECONOMIC POWER, THIS IS MUCH MUCH FAR FROM REALITY!
Posted by NAB, UK on Saturday 20 June 2009 at 04:41 UAE time
Mr. Rajendra, I am sick and tired of hearing this age old rant from Indians that India is becoming a super power very soon. And trust me i have been hearing from your mouths for the last thirty years!!
You are not even a power let alone a super power. 75% of Indians earn less than 2$ a day. YES 75% T AS FOR INDIA BECOMING A ECONOMIC POWER, THIS IS MUCH MUCH FAR FROM REALITY!
a just future
Posted by orteleus on Saturday 21 March 2009 at 20:44 UAE time
My self-imposed imprisonment ends soon in Bahrain. I have spent nearly a year sorrounded by abject displays of laziness and cruelty. I witnessed three grossly overweight Saudi youth demeaning an Indian who was washing their Land Rover by making him wash the same spot repeatedly while they laughed. I saw Indonesian house servants peeking from behind gated compounds which for them had become virtual prisons. I heard Gulf Arabs refer to hardworking Indian construction workers as vermin and rats.
This region is doomed to failure. The world community is moving towards a massive reduction in the use of petro carbons. That reduction means the entire economy of the region will be undercut. Dubai and Bahrain may have diversified into finance and banking but the bedrock of the economy still remains oil.
I leave Bahrain soon and have no intention of ever returning. The only thing that might drag me back to this litter box is the possibility that one day I will see the wealthy corrupt Arabs of this region cleaning the houses of Pakistanis, repairing the highways driven by Philipinos, and serving the Indians in restaurants.
Posted by orteleus on Saturday 21 March 2009 at 20:44 UAE time
My self-imposed imprisonment ends soon in Bahrain. I have spent nearly a year sorrounded by abject displays of laziness and cruelty. I witnessed three grossly overweight Saudi youth demeaning an Indian who was washing their Land Rover by making him wash the same spot repeatedly while they laughed. I saw Indonesian house servants peeking from behind gated compounds which for them had become virtual prisons. I heard Gulf Arabs refer to hardworking Indian construction workers as vermin and rats.
This region is doomed to failure. The world community is moving towards a massive reduction in the use of petro carbons. That reduction means the entire economy of the region will be undercut. Dubai and Bahrain may have diversified into finance and banking but the bedrock of the economy still remains oil.
I leave Bahrain soon and have no intention of ever returning. The only thing that might drag me back to this litter box is the possibility that one day I will see the wealthy corrupt Arabs of this region cleaning the houses of Pakistanis, repairing the highways driven by Philipinos, and serving the Indians in restaurants.
Mr. Rajendra's Optimisim
Posted by Ayesha, Dubai, UAE on Sunday 3 February 2008 at 09:59 UAE time
If Mr. Rajendra is so optimistic about the economies of India, China and Brazil. I suggest he pack his bags and leave quickly or stand outside the agent offices in first India (as from there the highest number of expats come to this region) and then China (whose population is also heading to the GCC) to stop migrating given his 10 point solution.
Posted by Ayesha, Dubai, UAE on Sunday 3 February 2008 at 09:59 UAE time
If Mr. Rajendra is so optimistic about the economies of India, China and Brazil. I suggest he pack his bags and leave quickly or stand outside the agent offices in first India (as from there the highest number of expats come to this region) and then China (whose population is also heading to the GCC) to stop migrating given his 10 point solution.
10 TRIGGERS, THE NEW WORLD ORDER!!
Posted by RAJENDRA ANEJA, DUBAI, UAE on Thursday 31 January 2008 at 12:04 UAE time
In the "disguised" attacks on Indians workers, who help to build many countries, in the Middle East, we must remember the new status and power of India!!
Just last week, the British PM Gordon Brown recently underscored that a New World Order was emerging, and countries like India and China needed more representation in world affairs and a permanent seat in the UN Security Council. He is right. The French President also endorsed Mr. Brown's views.
However, Brazil too is a mighty emerging nation. The New World Order is being triggered by the following 10 variables.
1. Possible recession in USA, hence need for other economies to be energising.
2. Some decline in USA influence, post Iraq war
3. Excellent performance of India, China economies
4. Rise of Indian professionals, globally, 25 million work ion 200 countries.
5. High oil ($100 barrel), gold ($900 ounce) prices
6. Unresolved Middle East issues e.g. Palestine, Iran, Lebanon.
7. Issues in Pakistan, Kenya.
8. Intense world poverty, 2 billion people live on $1 a day
9. Continuance of international terrorism
10. Improvement in Communications, IT, in India/China/Brazil.
In the years to come, it would be wise for nations, to build strong bridges with China, India and Brazil!
Posted by RAJENDRA ANEJA, DUBAI, UAE on Thursday 31 January 2008 at 12:04 UAE time
In the "disguised" attacks on Indians workers, who help to build many countries, in the Middle East, we must remember the new status and power of India!!
Just last week, the British PM Gordon Brown recently underscored that a New World Order was emerging, and countries like India and China needed more representation in world affairs and a permanent seat in the UN Security Council. He is right. The French President also endorsed Mr. Brown's views.
However, Brazil too is a mighty emerging nation. The New World Order is being triggered by the following 10 variables.
1. Possible recession in USA, hence need for other economies to be energising.
2. Some decline in USA influence, post Iraq war
3. Excellent performance of India, China economies
4. Rise of Indian professionals, globally, 25 million work ion 200 countries.
5. High oil ($100 barrel), gold ($900 ounce) prices
6. Unresolved Middle East issues e.g. Palestine, Iran, Lebanon.
7. Issues in Pakistan, Kenya.
8. Intense world poverty, 2 billion people live on $1 a day
9. Continuance of international terrorism
10. Improvement in Communications, IT, in India/China/Brazil.
In the years to come, it would be wise for nations, to build strong bridges with China, India and Brazil!
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