DOHA: A prominent Qatari psychologist, who earned her PhD from the UK, has lashed out at Western expatriates and said there was no justification in treating them as superior in workplace to all others, including Qataris.
“Many Qataris have the same degrees from the same universities which some Western expatriates have attended, but they (the former) are treated as inferior,” Dr Moza Al Malki (pictured) said.
“That beats any logic.”
Formerly from Qatar University, she said in remarks to this newspaper yesterday that she agreed with people in her community that Western expatriates draw higher pay and perks than even locals.
“To be fair, I deeply sympathise with Asian expatriates who slog and do the hard work and are paid a pittance.”
She said the differences in pay scales of locals and Asian expatriates and those of Western expatriates were shockingly huge.
“It is there for everyone to see. It is so obvious,” said Al Malki. “And for this our governments are to blame.”
They might have struck deals with their governments that their citizens would be paid more, she said. “I know of a Western expatriate whose monthly salary is QR1m ($274,600). Could you believe it?” There are many who are paid QR500,000 a month. And this is in addition to the hefty annual bonuses they get and other privileges.
“Our governments rely so much on them. They hire Western experts at the drop of a hat — for anything and everything that is to be done.”
Citing Qatar University where she once taught, Al Malki said when the university was changing its medium of instruction for certain streams, its management got a visiting professor from the West to help implement the change.
“The university did everything that would benefit Western expatriates.
“Would you believe that this ‘visiting’ professor stayed here for eight long years?”.
Al Malki said many Qatari teachers were removed from Qatar University although they had the same degrees from the same universities Western expatriates attended who replaced them.
“They wouldn’t let us be in the same job for which they would hire a Westerner although our qualifications would be the same and from the same universities.”
People should not be differentiated on the basis of such considerations, she said.
The comments that appear on the local social media on the issue should be taken seriously, said the psychologist.
The Peninsula
