According to the second annual “Expat Experience Survey’” which was recently commissioned by HSBC Bank International, Canada , Australia and Thailand are the “best places” for expats! Britain, hit by the recent recession, was one of the worst locations to live in for expatriates, according to the news report by Reuters (Nov 26, 2009). Expats in Canada seem to enjoy an excellent quality of life and its society provides great opportunities for social integration for the newcomers. Likewise, Australia and Thailand, even though hit by the recent recession, yet continued to be immigrants-favorite locations. What is remarkable about this survey is that it provides excellent insights on what expatriates usually look for in different countries around the world: equal “trade-off” between income and the quality of life it provides; good employment prospects; easy social integration in the host country; finding a place to live in good quality accommodations; and good health services.

Kuwait seems to be the best place for expats in the region, however there are certain shortcomings which we need to overcome in order to transform our country into the ‘best place’ for our expatriate friends and partners. To begin, putting in place better employer and employee relationship is the first step in the right direction. With the current delay in implementing the new labor law, we have not yet reached a stage where we can provide expatriate workers effective legal and contractual protections. For example, we are still plagued by the current Kafeel system, which among its negative consequences is that it discourages serious and professional new expats. In other words, no employee on earth would venture to put their fate and their professional career in the hands of unrestrained employers. The relationship between the local Kuwaiti employer and expats in all professions, as we have insisted in the past, needs to abide by the standards of the World Labor Organization, its rules and regulations about ‘decent work.’

Moreover, we can transform our country into the “best place for expats” by improving the life quality of domestic workers and other manual laborers. These workers occupy the lowest level of employment in Kuwait, however many of them do not seem to enjoy basic protections and guarantees of decent work. Many of these domestic workers get exploited by visa traders, domestic service companies...etc. One can add to this some of the worst cases of verbal and physical abuse some domestic workers undergo by certain individuals. Furthermore, we need to implement new laws to fight anti-expats behavior whether committed by a member of the public or comes in the form of media distortions. To illustrate, it is highly inappropriate to allow some would-be columnists and commentators in our Arabic newspapers to use offensive language to discuss role of expatriates in our society. These free individuals and good families, expats, have already become part of our culture. Many of them in fact show strong loyalty to Kuwait, its history and respect its culture and traditions.

Yet another shortcoming in this regard is the current lack of tolerance toward some expats. As a Kuwaiti individual, I have been taught by expats, helped throughout my career by my expatriates friends and partners. Moreover, I will continue to regard all expats in Kuwait as integral parts of my human experience. In addition, I will naturally continue to frown upon those who dehumanize expats either through treatment, representations or otherwise. We need to create in Kuwait a more welcoming environment for our expatriate friends and partners. Instead of viewing them as foreigners, why not for example extend a welcoming and a warm hand to them. The first step in social integration and tolerance is to be able to understand that other people’s human experiences are equal to ours. They, expats have the rights to be treated as friendly, as humanely and as respectfully as any other Kuwaiti individual.

By Khaled Aljenfawi - Arab Times