"We have given citizenship to many people over the past years. Why can’t we grant the same rights to some of the highly skilled and talented expatriates who have been working in our countries for many years. This will be a better solution to the problems we are discussing here," he said.
He was supported by a woman participant, who congratulated him for his bold opinion and his frankness in expressing it.
"We have naturalised a number of people, especially in the sports field. This can be done in the case of some expatriates as well, who services are highly valuable for our countries," she said.
" The expatriates have contributed a lot to the development of our countries and it is our duty to ensure them all the basis human rights and provide them healthcare, medical insurance etc," she added.
Another major issue discussed in the session was the increasing number of domestic workers in the GCC countries. Dr Adnan Wadie, a panelist from Kuwait who drew attention to this phenomenon observed that that there is no rationale for this increase and this is not supported by any economic factors.
A participant from the Qatar University, however, argued that the increase in the number of domestic servants is caused by an increase in the standard of living of the nationals. The economic affluence have prompted native families to employ more servants at their homes.
