Qatar has proved that the heat of the summer cannot hinder its hosting of the 2022 World Cup. Sports facilities are being equipped with cooling systems to protect players and spectators from heat.
But some zealots are raking up the issue of heat to show their grudge against Qatar.
It is a pre-planned war, direct as well as proxy. Our ideas about this war are particularly true given the fact that the claims made by some envious newspapers were not about violations committed by major international companies in Europe — violations that were partly covered by CNN last year only within the context of a raging war between two trading rivals, namely the United States and Europe.
Reports in this regard focused on the deplorable condition of workers in the factories of these major companies in poor countries in Latin America. They said these workers were treated in these factories like slaves. These reports, however, did not tell us anything about the condition of labourers working on American and European projects in poor countries such as Mexico, other Latin American countries, Vietnam, India, China, Sri Lanka and Indonesia.
Meanwhile, international organisations did not focus on Qatar’s neighbouring countries depending on a large number of foreign workers. These organisations did not ask these countries to improve the conditions of their workers.
I am sure that the facts we are trying to clarify now will emerge more clearly in future. The question is: when will this happen? The answer is that these facts will emerge clearly when a trade war erupts between two Western powers with conflicting interests. Confrontations are either economic or political.
No doubt, Qatar made a huge achievement by winning the right to host the 2022 World Cup. We hope that our country is not blackmailed or exploited due to this achievement.
Blackmail has already started, regarding something that is religiously banned here, namely same-sex relationships. Some international newspapers have described these relationships as being “legally banned in Qatar”. This is so controversial, given the fact that we are talking here about a sporting event, not a sexual one. These relationships have not been legally authorised even in the world’s large secular countries.
As Qataris, if we do not understand the realities of this blackmail we can open the door to grave concessions at the expense of our religious rights, not just at the expense of our citizens.
We cannot offer any concessions in these two matters. After Qatar recently announced that it will replace its sponsorship law with another system based on contracts, Amnesty International cast doubt on the move. The international organisation said the move was “not enough”.
As citizens, we are not supposed to succumb to pressures put on our government with the aim of ushering in confusion in its laws and policies and create public dissatisfaction. We are aware of the conspiracies hatched against us. This is why it is important for us to discuss the latest policies and amendments in an atmosphere of freedom guaranteed by our country, whether we accept these policies and amendments or not.
We have the right to call for a reconsideration of the conditions in which the constitution of our country and its laws are enforced, even as we pay attention to human rights and the rights of others. While we make laws that regulate work contracts for workers, we need to pay attention to the rights of people to whom services are offered. We must be keen that no harm is done to these people as well.
Everyone is talking about some sub-contracting companies violating the rights of labourers, but what about rights of citizens, the employers? When foreign workers run away, nobody compensates the citizens. Citizens are not like companies that can find alternatives.
The new contracts should be based on some conditions for both parties, otherwise recruitment in this country will became a lottery. Unconditional contracts can turn our country into a land for workers who keep changing jobs and employers with help from some beneficiaries. This is why it is important for us to create specific mechanisms to regulate contracts and employer-employee relations.
I want to repeat the fact that employers have the right to be informed by their employees about their desire to leave or resign. This is part of the current system in Qatar as well as the system in all other countries. This happens in all institutions.
The same applies to workers in all institutions. An employee cannot leave his/her work randomly. They have to submit a resignation letter, leaving the decision in this regard to the employer in the light of well-known administrative procedures. But this does not mean that a system should be made to serve the interests of a specific group of people regardless of other parties.
This decision will be referred to the Advisory Council for debate and approval. As citizens, we have the right to ask the Council to invite lawyers and representatives of citizens, companies and institutions to give their opinion on it. The opinions of these people must be included in the report of the discussions of the Council before this report is referred to the State Cabinet for approval. We have the right to be heard, even before international organisations.
We admit that workers have rights that must be respected. We also call for punishing companies that violate the rights of workers. We call for naming and shaming erring companies. These companies are mainly responsible for tarnishing our image regarding human rights. They do not represent us as Qatari citizens.
The people of Qatar respect all transparent human rights reports. They also respect others and hold human rights in high esteem. However, the respect the people of Qatar give to reports makes it necessary for these reports to be the following:
First, they have to be within the context of their professional topic and their timing.
Second, they have to be honest and free of any suspicious intent.
Finally, the reports have to be general and comprehensive, talking about all issues and all countries.
