Remittances frightening

This refers to the article, “Remittances frightening” (Oct. 20). Why the grudge against those who earn petty amounts — some as low as SR200 per month for cleaning our streets and collecting our home garbage? Why nurture such feelings against the maids who work all day and night in your homes for only SR800 per month?

After all, those doing these menial jobs and earning money are Muslims and deserve a good living.

The writer, Khaled Hamad Al-Sulaiman says, “A small society like ours cannot be leading the rest of the world in foreign remittances, surpassing societies that are double its size in population and economy.” But he needs to support his statement with facts and figures when he compares the Kingdom with other countries. The writer says, “The task of the Labor Ministry is not just to administer the contractual relationship between the employee and the employer but to draw clear-cut lines for the work arena in the interests of Saudi citizens and the homeland.”

It is not the Ministry of Labor alone that is responsible for bringing in workers.

We need foreign workers everywhere to do things we can do ourselves. Our homes are cleaned by maids. Our cars are cleaned by workers. Foreign workers are needed to look after our buildings, our shops, our factories, and the list goes on and on.

The question is, can we afford to pay Saudi maids a decent amount of money to guarantee them a decent living? Can we pay Saudis enough to clean our streets? If we can, then we are better served by employing Saudis and reducing remittances.

Yousif, By e-mail published 3 November 2009

A bitter pill to swallow

Francis Andrew in his letter “Start debating race sensibly” (Nov. 2) is wrong in assuming that the audience was handpicked and that David Dimbleby was a totally biased moderator. Also he is wrong in assuming that Nick Griffin was up against a panel made up of the Lib/Lab/Con alliance. Although Griffin does not deserve any better treatment for what he represents in this day and age, he had every right to be heard. The BBC, despite all pressures, must be commended for affording that privilege to Griffin. The fact still remains that Griffin exposed himself like a village idiot, slippery and ill informed in fielding questions from the audience and the panelists.

I must admit that the show was a sham from the start and the moderator did not intervene to prevent everyone ganging up against Griffin. Other panelists also did not perform any better. The performance of Labour’s Jack Straw was pathetic, to say the least. Only the Conservative Sayeeda Warsi showed understanding of the issues. Regarding 25,000 new inquiries about membership in the BNP since “Question Time”, may I inform Andrew, a BNP member, that there is a freeze in place on new membership because of a court order last month. The court ruling ordered the BNP to revise their discriminatory constitution by January 2010, which limits the membership to indigenous Caucasian e.g. Anglo-Saxons, Celtic, Norse — in other words “whites” only. The court order requires the BNP to open its membership to all citizens if it wants to remain a legal political party in Britain. The membership will vote on the amendment this month. It is possible that the majority of existing members will quit the party that will allow Jews, Muslims, Jamaicans, Indians and Pakistanis to be members. Say goodbye to a “white supremacist party” and for Andrew, I know, it will be hard to swallow this bitter pill.

Iqbal Paul, Montreal published 3 November 2009

Arms suppliers

This refers to the report, “Terrorist arms cache unearthed” (Nov. 2). Arms manufacturers and distributors and their supporters are the ones benefiting from this war on terror. If there is peace, the economies of countries such as America and Russia will collapse because there won’t be buyers for arms and bombs which these countries produce and sell. According to an article in Wikipedia, the top five arms sellers are the US, Russia, Germany, France and Ukraine. Three of them — the US, Russia and France — are permanent members of the UN Security Council. Now one can have an idea about their influence.

How ironical it is that the very members of the UN Security Council also supply the world with deadly weapons. Can one believe that the countries whose economies depend on the supply of weapons that result in violence and the deaths of men, women and children will ever seriously want peace in the Middle East, Asia or Africa. Call me paranoid, but I guess it does not really need a rocket scientist to work this out.

Yusuf Mario Germino, By e-mail published 3 November 2009

Mobile phones

It has been reported that India banned prepaid mobile phones in its part of Kashmir because there were instances when mobile phones were used by insurgents to trigger bombs. To safeguard its interests in the valley, India took the step though it inconvenienced the general public. We wonder what steps the Pakistani authorities will take to stem terrorism in the areas where the army has been fighting the Taleban. In any war plan, communication and energy supplies are the two key factors employed to isolate the enemy. But we see the Taleban are using mobile and satellite phones without any fear and that their 4WDs, SUVs and pickup trucks are running around on the rugged mountains. There is no oil refinery in Afghanistan, therefore all the fuel requirements in tribal areas are met by supplies from Pakistan.

Pakistan should look into ways to choke the Taleban's communication capabilities and stop fuel supplies being smuggled into tribal areas. It may trouble the local population but we are at war with internal enemies and this is the minimum we can sacrifice for the country.

Masood Khan, Jubail published 3 November 2009

Saudi-India ties

This refers to the report, “Saudi-India ties enter new era” (Nov.1). These two important countries certainly need to have good relations. The recent strengthening of ties at different levels is commendable. India is a huge country with skilled manpower. It has been helpful in the Kingdom’s infrastructural development and it can continue to be a major supplier of skilled manpower in future. Saudi Arabia may draw benefits from India’s developments in information technology and related areas. Saudi businessmen can make inroads into India’s huge market. They can participate in projects pertaining to infrastructural development in India. Multientry visas for businessmen will help promote business activities between the two countries.

Saad Hassan, New Delhi published 3 November 2009