Nabila Mahjoub Al-Madinah I will write today about people who suffered from the ongoing crackdown on illegal workers. All their stories are linked with organizing the labor market and status correction. The Passport Department, Ministry of Labor and the muaqebs (government facilitators) have become the talk of the town.
People were divided over the government procedures to organize the labor market. Some of them were in favor while others opposed the procedures that went against their interests. A woman who was visiting a rural village where she provides free services to charity organizations, Qur'an schools, summer centers and health centers in addition to helping the needy was stopped by the police after she produced all her identity documents. The police officer gave her a hard time because her driver and maid were under her sister's sponsorship and she was sharing them with her sister. Is every member of a family supposed to hire a maid and a driver? I do not think there is a problem in a woman using her sister or brother's driver. Why was this woman forced to pull over? What was the violation she committed when she used her sister's driver? In the end, one of the officers felt sorry for her and let her go. The woman did not commit any crime. Is it permissible for a woman to use a car registered under her son, brother or husband's name? These are some of the questions that concern many women because most of them do not own cars or have maids. The second story concerns a woman who went to the Passport Department as early as 6 a.m. to finish her paperwork. She tried to get a number but she could not because of overcrowding at the place. When she asked for directions, people pointed at more than one direction. She saw female passport officers shouting and cursing at people. Some of these people were old, mothers and grandmothers. There were teachers, doctors and other professionals among them. The third story is about a problem that many of us suffer from. When people visit a passport officer to finish government paperwork, they are told not to waste his time and use a muaqeb to finish the job. I do not want to ask why they are recommending muaqebs and I do not want to attack their dignity but you should ask why the muaqebs demand huge amounts to do the job. Why can't we as citizens finish the job ourselves without getting help from muaqebs? Why do we have to lose all that money? It is the right of the people to finish their paperwork. Muaqebs make matters worse, especially when they charge high amounts. People support the government's efforts to organize the market but they at the same time are falling victim to this mess. Some women fell victim to con men who took SR15,000 from them and disappeared without a trace. I urge officials at the Interior Ministry to listen to the sad stories of people and I am sure the government will stand against the muaqebs and force officials at the Passport Department to finish people's paperwork.
