EXPATRIATE workers remitted close to SR160 billion last year and it projected that even more will be sent abroad this year. The total amount of remittances has been on the increase. However, let's be logical; there is nothing strange about this figure. We have a large number of expatriate workers in our country and it is natural that they transfer money to their families back home every month. They have the full right to do so. But why has our country not established mega-entertainment projects to attract citizens and expatriate workers alike to make them spend their money in the Kingdom? If we look at countries like Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman, we will see that these countries have entertainment projects where expatriate workers spend a large portion of the money they earn in having fun. Instead of transferring the money abroad, the expatriate workers spend in the Gulf country they live in. We cannot blame expatriate workers for transferring a large amount in remittances every year while we have not offered them an alternative way to have fun and spend some of their money in the Kingdom. I have met scores of non-Saudi cabdrivers, workers and employees who have worked in the Kingdom and then moved to other Gulf countries. When I asked them about their opinion about living and working in the Kingdom, they said they regretted leaving the Kingdom because when they were there, they saved money. They said entertainment in the Kingdom is limited and they, therefore, were able to save money and send it home. If we do not do something about the huge amount transferred abroad in remittances, we should not blame expatriate workers for transferring money abroad.
