Khalaf Al-Harbi Okaz newspaper HOW do we make sure that the Saudization plan and its programs (Nitaqat, Hafiz and Hadaf) are a success and not mere talk? To find out, one should ride the so-called limousines and listen to the stories of the Bangladeshi or Pakistani drivers who talk about their Saudi sponsors who work for the government and at the same time own at least 40 taxis that create chaos on the roads. The Saudi sponsors charge a daily fee of SR150 from each driver and then release them on the street to fend for themselves. Two days ago, statistics released from the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) stated that there are 420 taxi companies in Jeddah with more than 35,000 cars. Of course, the number of taxi companies in Riyadh is much higher than that in Jeddah. If you stand in the street, you will find 500 taxis waiting for you. For every 100 cab drivers there is one Saudi sponsor with unique power and good connections to go through the Ministry of Labor and exit from the other side safely. This sponsor in most cases has a government job, real estate properties here and there, a car-repair shop and a cafeteria. Each related ministry takes into consideration his tough conditions and allows him to steal 100 jobs from young Saudis who could work in the taxi industry. Assuming that the total number of taxicabs in Riyadh and the Eastern Province, let alone Makkah and Madinah is similar to the number in Jeddah, the number of cars driven by foreigners in the Kingdom is more than 100,000, which means 100,000 job opportunities for young Saudis. This is enough to reduce unemployment in the country. The Nitaqat program could be stopped and the funds allocated for the Hadaf program could be donated to charity. The main goal should be to end the extortion expatriate drivers suffer at the hands of their sponsors. These poor people are working day and night to earn a living, pay the fee to their sponsors and then divide what is left for their expenses and the expenses of their families back home. The decision to cancel taxi companies and limit this profession to Saudis is a very old one — if I remember correctly, more than 20 years old. Every year, the ministries threaten taxi companies with closure even though their owners live comfortably without fear. This has proved that the taxi company mafia is stronger than any rule and regulation. It seems that fulfilling the interests of taxi company owners is much more important than fixing the unemployment problem. I would like to give some brotherly advice to young Saudis: Do not to believe all the talk about Saudization that officials make in their defense each time a Saudi with a Master's in chemistry refuses to work as a cook in a restaurant. At the same time, they do not pay attention to a citizen with an elementary school certificate who owns 100 taxi-driving jobs and provides them to foreign workers. In short, the taxi company is above the law and national interests. And the Nitaqat exists only to comfort those who swallow the statements of officials.
