Is there discrimination and unfair trampling of expat rights in Saudi Arabia? Some may say yes, some may say no. Whatever may be the case, the overwhelming majority will agree that improvising and changing many laws is definitely needed. Saudi Gazette reports a statement from the Saudi Ministry of Labor that there is no law that discriminates between Saudis and expats. 

RIYADH – The Ministry of Labor has said that it is working hard to protect the rights of workers without any discrimination on the basis of nationality.
In a statement issued here, the ministry said that it is making all efforts to implement labor laws protecting Saudi nationals and expatriates alike.
The ministry said that it is leaving no stone unturned to realize the vision of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to protect human rights and to check human trafficking, which, it added, is in contrast to the legislation, values and genuine principles of the Kingdom derived from the Shariah.

The statement is reassuring. Why? Because when such statements are issued, there is hope that they will reflect in actions too. Saudis genuinely seem to be working on improvising themselves. One cannot deny that there is a level of awareness now that didn't exist earlier.

But there is also a conflict of interests and opinions on what should be the course of action with regard to foreigners. For instance, a Shoura Council member said last year that the sponsorship system will be abolished soon -- that a law will be passed soon by the Labor Ministry. But the deputy minister of labor said in January this year that the sponsorship system was there to stay. He was voicing fears that expats are taking away jobs from Saudis and would turn Saudis into a minority in their own country. 

Needless to say is that expats cannot take away jobs from competent Saudis. Saudis are getting educated. When they become experts, there is nothing stopping them from reaching the heights of success. Let them look back at one of the finest examples of rags-to-riches story in Sulaiman Al-Rajhi. 

What the sponsorship system has done to many, many Saudis is, it has made them lazy. It has brought them easy money, so why work and develop skill at all? And what about the expatriates who have been living for decades? Their children grew up in Saudi Arabia, are currently working in Saudi Arabia, and now they have grandchildren studying in Saudi Arabia! They know no land but this land. But they are stuck with the sponsorship system. They cannot live permanently here, own a house, or start a business. Worse, they do not know when they will have to leave their "home land" to a strange land just because of their passport.

If this issue doesn't deserve attention and is not resolved, then there isn't any issue worthy of attention.