LABOUR UNREST IN KUWAIT.
The following write-up of mine appeared in the local Kuwait Times yesterday dated 16.08.08. I am now reproducing the same in this forum.
AVF.
"During these days and since last month’s problem of expatriate Bangladeshi Cleaners in Kuwait, lot of stories are in circulation saying that even innocent Bangladeshis were unnecessarily arrested and without any justification were deported. One of the innocent deportees as per information was a Bangladeshi Bakala owner having no link with any striking Cleaners. For his bad luck just because he was watching from close angle the striking demonstrators, he was arrested. Worst part of the whole scenario was that he was not even allowed to call his family in Kuwait to make them aware of his arrest.
This reminds me of the incident taken place exactly 18 years back in Kuwait. Early in the morning in Kuwait City on 2nd August when expatriates were going to work they were suddenly stopped at gun point by the Iraqi military soldiers, got them arrested and put them in the garden as prisoners opposite to Kuwait Sheraton Hotel. All who were thus arrested were kept there in the hot sun and later on many of them were taken to Basrah where they were kept a few days in a very horrible condition. Some of these arrestees were just in their boiler suits. While in detention they were not even allowed to call their family members in Kuwait to inform them of their unwarranted arrest. From Basrah they were taken to Baghdad and from there they were sent back to their countries in their dirty, torn and miserable clothes as if they were criminals.
Performing of this type of inhuman attitude was okay for inhuman personnel from Iraq under Saddam Hussein’s regime but definitely not for Kuwaiti personnel. I resent this type of uncultured attitude in any human beings. It brings bad name to the human species which was created by God with highest degree of pleasure. 18 years back when Iraqi personnel treated Kuwaitis badly in inhuman ways we condemned them in highest terms. How can we accept similar attitude from Kuwaiti personnel who were not like Iraqi brute invaders? Something basically has gone wrong somewhere which brings bad name to the security personnel and also to the security apparatus of Kuwait. What image these poor Bangladeshi Cleaners and other expatriates will carry home when they bid adieu to this country from where they earn their sustenance? Will they talk of gratitude for earning their sustenance in Kuwait or will they talk of hatred for Kuwaitis for treating them inhumanly by some inhuman Kuwaitis who are responsible for damaging the reputation of Kuwait?
The recent strikes and demonstrations by Bangladeshi Cleaners were not the first in Kuwait. The early expatriates in Kuwait from my home place in India were telling so many stories of mid fifties of how they were witnessing Strikes at KOC Centre under the British when the Asian manpower were victimized on the basis of the colour of their skin. These Asians especially Indians and Pakistanis were discriminated by the top British management in the matter of salaries and other facilities including poor food facilities provided to the non-whites. Even integration between whites and non-whites by decree was forbidden thereby giving an apartheid colour to the whole system. And on certain occasions when the victimized staff of KOC protested, the very next day they were sacked from their jobs and deported back home to their countries without any proper investigation.
The first major labour strike and demonstration in Kuwait took place in mid seventies, somewhere in 1978. One Indian construction company was awarded the major contracts to build Seif Palace and other works at Ardiya. It was a big project and when the management found wanting in many respects, the Indian contractual manpower started demonstration and strike against their management leading into all round chaos including stoppage of work. This resulted in the local authorities to reprimand the top management of the Indian construction firm. During the demonstration some Indian workers trying to act aggressive were not only sacked from their jobs but were also deported. Hence, to cool down the situation, Indian Government of Janata Party deputed it’s the then Industries Minister George Fernades who after preliminary discussion with the concerned parties local as well as Indian, rushed to the Amiri Palace and met with the late Amir of Kuwait and melted the whole boiling situation to the satisfaction of the concerned parties.
Where Indian diplomacy then succeeded the Bangladeshi diplomacy now failed. It is a pity to see now Bangladeshis in general are looked down with suspicion from all angles. Even the law abiding and innocent Bangladeshis are looked with suspicion. Is it the result of their revolt against the injustice meted out to them by the hard core management of Cleaning companies? While they were made to suffer, can others with right frames of mind remain as silent spectators? Is it not right to raise one’s voice against the injustice committed on the innocents? Is it not our religious duty to fight against the injustice done on poor people? When Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him) was once asked when there will be justice in this world, came the reply within a split of a second saying “when everyone of us will gather courage to fight against the injustice committed on to others as if that injustice is committed on to us only, then only there will be justice in this world”.
Many segments of expatriates are suffering in Kuwait. They are made victims of injustice either by the defective prevailing system or by their own expatriate superiors who think they can do anything with the backing of the prevailing law. The lust for Dinar is creating monster in many of us. We have to raise our voice against the injustice the way we raised our voice in unison when Iraq committed injustice against Kuwait 18 years back.
A.Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait. "
