The New Nation - Internet Edition

THE governments of the oil-rich Gulf states are becoming increasingly 'concerned' that the rising number of outsiders, many of whom work as labourers on construction sites, could suffocate the indigenous cultures of the Arab countries. Foreigners reportedly make up about 13 million or 37 per cent of the 35 million populations across the six member-states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. They come mainly from the Asian countries. Pressure is growing for time-limits on the residency of the millions of expatriates seen as posing a demographic threat. An estimated 700,000 Asians mostly from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, work in UAE's construction industry where only around 20 per cent of the population is native.

It is not clear if a time-limit would apply to all foreigners, regardless of the types of job they do. Currently, most expatriate workers can have their residency permits renewed periodically by their local employers or sponsors until they reach retirement at 60. They are very rarely granted citizenship. 'From a Western viewpoint, workers who live here for 30 or 40 years should have rights and their children should become citizens as these are basic things in the West, the AFP news agency reported.

The Bahrain labour minister has said that the number of foreign workers would reach almost 30 million in ten years from now and suggested they should be allowed to remain in Gulf states for a maximum of six years. The Gulf states reportedly agreed that Asian workers are contracted workers, not immigrant workers. They are for ensuring the welfare of the foreign workers who should stay in the Gulf for limited periods. This would preserve the demographic character of the countries of this region, they believe. Bangladesh should keep watch on the developments to best preserve the country's interests.