Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country – JFK
Last week Parliament met Labour and Social Development Minister Jameel Humaidan and demanded that all expats be banned from governmental positions.
Many members of Parliament are riding a local wave of anger and frustration, where Bahraini jobs are “being taken over by foreigners and immigrants”. One MP demanded the minister’s resignation, and another demanded that private firms and banks also be forced to only hire Bahrainis; citing that they spend their money locally and “refresh the economy”, while expats send their money abroad. To a certain degree that might be true, but I think the suggestion is childish, impulsive, and destructive. Perhaps the issue isn’t as black or white as it seems. I would like to explore the grey area before we open Pandora’s box.
First, as the minister explained: Enforcing illegal, racist, or discriminatory employment policies can have serious political and economic repercussions. He warned Parliament that this could deter foreign investment and damage the economy. Imagine we removed all the expatriates and foreigners from our ministries overnight and replaced them with fresh new Bahraini graduates. It would be like reformatting your computer and starting from scratch. It could be good that you have a totally new slate to work from, but all the experience and knowledge would be lost. Do our ministries need a new culture? Fresh perspectives? Maybe. Can we afford to lose all that knowledge and insight? Maybe not. Besides, in my dealings with governmental institutions it’s generally hard to find local overachievers.
Secondly, the labour and employment market is just that: A market. There’s a supply and demand. Why is there a higher demand for expats even though their wages are now close to Bahraini salary expectations? (When you factor in accommodation, transport, visa costs, plane tickets etc. then salaries are not too far off). Is it a cultural issue or a productivity issue? Could it be an educational and training matter? I’m certain of one thing: That Bahrain has always been a melting pot, and a cultural mix is always good for any society and economy. New ideas and methods are exchanged for the good of the nation. I can also say for certain that our success has only been attained in collaboration with the hard-working guests who have graced our island over the last few centuries.
Thirdly, is our culture as advanced as civilised nations? When I was in Germany, I once stuffed some trash in a parking lot bin. As I walked back to my car an old lady marched up to me furiously screaming that this was meant for small items only, and not a bag of this size. Although I thought I was doing the right thing, I wasn’t.
Do we correct people in Bahrain when they overtake us on the shoulder? Do we stop them for littering? Do we clean and protect our own streets? Do we support each other, or just dig holes and set traps? Are we sure we’re evolved enough as a civilisation to expel all our workers? Japan barely grants worker visas because they have a surplus of skilled hard-working people. Is it the same in Bahrain? Is our money spent wisely (into real training and education), or is it squandered celebrating phantom successes? (Well that’s another story for another day).
The point I’m trying to reach is that maybe the issue is deeper than ripping off a band-aid and bleeding to death vs. keeping it on and suffering. Perhaps there’s no real quick fix. Perhaps the market should correct itself. Maybe it’s a long-term game, where we focus on education, training, culture, and entrepreneurship.
I think the days of demanding a job, and then keeping it despite being unproductive (because it’s impossible to fire a local) are gone. We need to create the right kind of workers and entrepreneurs, and only then can we compete globally, as a happy mix of locals and expats.