(MENAFN- Arab Times) KUWAIT CITY Dec 2: Several lawmakers and citizens have expressed objection to the $2500 (KD 720) bank guarantee imposed by the Indian Embassy on Kuwaitis who want to hire female domestic workers from India asserting this is unnecessary considering the good relationship between the two countries.
MP Auda Al-Ruwai has called on Kuwait's Foreign Affairs Ministry to work towards cancellation of the decision as he sees no reason for imposing such a huge amount especially since Kuwaiti families have not had any problem with Indian housemaids in terms of salary and other labor-related issues.
He asserted Kuwaiti families respect Indian maids because they don't cause major problems. He added Kuwaitis have long and good experience and relations with Indian maids who are treated as part of the family.
He hopes this issue will be resolved soon in cooperation with the Indian side. MP Khalil Abdullah argued the decision contravenes the Constitution of Kuwait and its laws as well as the diplomatic norms. He claimed such actions pose a grave threat to the rights of Kuwaitis in their own homeland.
He stressed that protecting the rights of all people living in the country including citizens and foreigners is the prerogative of the Kuwaiti government; not the Indian Embassy or any other embassy and political entities.
He considers the decision a blatant interference in the internal affairs of Kuwait and a challenge to the Kuwaiti government to shoulder its responsibilities in order to protect citizens. He warned that the passage of this resolution means accepting similar decisions from other embassies and a violation of the law; hence it is unacceptable.
He said the National Assembly totally rejects the decision and will put pressure on the government by using constitutional tools to stop implementation of the decision. He warned about the dire consequences of implementing the decision particularly in the public and political sectors.
He wondered what could be the motivation behind issuance of the decision considering the harmonious relationship between Kuwait and India. He also emphasized the need to fix the lopsided demographic to protect the rights of all parties involved in addition to maintaining national security.
On the other hand Al-Jarida daily reporter Fahad Al-Turki thinks the decision is a mistake on the part of the Indian Embassy as it will prompt Kuwaitis to recruit maids from other countries. He argued this move is a way of exploiting Kuwaitis who do not want to hire housemaids from certain countries due to previous violations.
He said this is a wrong step especially this time when the country is experiencing an economic crisis due to the oil price decline in the global market. 'I am aware that majority of Kuwait's lawmakers are against this move; so this will put pressure on the government to take the necessary steps in cooperation with its Indian counterpart to address the issue and put everything back to normal.'
Furthermore Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) reporter Saud Al-Sultan pointed out the decision is another financial burden for Kuwaiti families because the bank guarantee will not protect their rights as well as that of the Indian housemaids. He said the recruitment of Indian housemaids costs about KD 1000 and if the KD 720 bank guarantee is added to this the total will be KD 1720 which is equivalent to the salary of a Kuwaiti with a master's degree.
He also asked if the decision is enough guarantee for the Kuwaiti families that the Indian housemaids will not escape and seek refuge at the embassy or the domestic labor office. He wondered what could be the advantage of imposing such a huge amount of bank guarantee if there is no law protecting the rights of both the housemaids and sponsors.
He urged the government to thoroughly look into the issue because it has nothing to do with money asserting the Indian maids are not commodities and Kuwaiti homes are not places for 'experimenting' on these maids. 'Under such circumstances we need a law which protects the rights of domestic workers and their sponsors' he concluded.
Agencies add: Assistant Undersecretary for Citizenship Affairs and Travel Documents at the Ministry of Interior Major-General Sheikh Mazen Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah was recently quoted as saying there is a tendency to stop the recruitment of Indian labor reports Al-Rai daily. Al-Jarrah disclosed a committee has been formed to inspect domestic labor offices in cooperation with Residency Affairs department to follow up and prosecute owners of domestic workers offices which violate the law and shut down those which do not abide by the legal and humanitarian conditions.
He added the tendency to stop the recruitment of Indian labor came after the Indian Embassy in Kuwait slapped a KD 720 bank guarantee on the sponsors employing female Indian domestic workers. He noted the action taken by the Indian Embassy is unilateral that leaves us with no option but with 'our choice' to recruit laborers because the Indian decision imposes a heavy burden on the shoulders of the citizens.
Meanwhile the Annahar daily said the Indian Ambassador to Kuwait Sunil Jain has denied reports that he had been summoned by the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry. Undersecretary of Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sulaiman Al-Jarallah affirmed that he met with the Indian Ambassador to Kuwait H.E. Sunil Jain at the ministry headquarters where they discussed about the Indian government's decision to demand KD 720 bank guarantee from sponsors to hire female Indian domestic workers Al-Seyassah reports.
On the sidelines of an event held on Monday at the Romanian Embassy in Kuwait to mark its national day Al- Jarallah said 'We will communicate with our brothers in the GCC countries to understand the way they dealt with this issue and work on implementing the same mechanism.
However we will continue to exert efforts for ensuring the good of our citizens.' Meanwhile about the rumors that Kuwait intends to grant visas for Syrian diplomats to work in the Syrian Embassy in Kuwait he clarified 'The Syrian diplomats left the country by their own will and are returning by their will.
There is a huge Syrian community in Kuwait and they need these diplomats who will take care of their interests.' When asked if such a procedure will be followed by a Kuwaiti decision to return the members of the Kuwaiti diplomatic mission to Damascus Al-Jarallah said 'This is another issue which will not be discussed now.' Concerning the invitation submitted by the parliament's Investigation Committee to discuss about the 'transfers' of Ministry of Foreign Affairs he expressed his readiness to accept the invitation.
He added 'When we are requested we will talk about what we know. We had earlier accepted an invitation from the committee. It is the parliament's right to form such committees for handling some cases. We are ready to interact positively with the lawmakers based on what we know about this issue. I do not think we have any new developments.'
By: Abubakar A. Ibrahim Arab Times Staff
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