Rajab Ali's ordeal

Rajab Ali has been away from home for 22 years. He spent 16 years in Saudi Arabia before coming to neighbouring Qatar six years ago, and he hasn't been home for the past six years. In a candid interview with The Daily Star, this migrant worker elaborated on his life abroad and the state of Bangladeshis here.

The Daily Star (DS): How is life here in Doha?

Rajab Ali (RA): Life is fine for me, Alhamdulillah. It depends on who you ask. Some people are doing good here, some others not so much.

DS: What is your profession?

RA: I'm a welder. I work on my own; I have vast experience of working in this trade in Saudi Arabia, and I know people. They give me work.

DS: How much do you make from your job?

RA: Alhamdulillah, I make enough to keep me going and send some home. If you are smart and good at your job, you can make a decent living here.

DS: But things are too expensive here, aren't they? For example, a standard loaf of bread costs you five Qatari riyal, which is equivalent to 150 BDT.

RA: Expensive, right but they also pay you enough to cover for the expenses. If you come with a company visa, they will pay you a minimum of thousand riyal apart from providing food and accommodation for you. So, you can send some home. On average, you can get by with 800 riyal – 300 for accommodation, another 300 for food and 200 for other expenses.

DS: There is a free visa too, which brings a lot of people from Bangladesh.

RA: Free visa is the one not sponsored by any company. You can come with a free visa and look for your own job, but you won't get the facilities you get from companies. Furthermore, you have to renew the visa every year with a thousand riyal.

DS: Since you're not working for a company, you must be on a free visa.

RA: I am. But I'm happy like this. I make a lot more than what I would have working for a company.

DS: How did you end up here in the first place?

RA: I was in Saudi Arabia for a long time. Life there was much better, income much better. But I got into trouble with my employee and left.

DS: When was the last time you went home?

RA: I haven't been home since coming here. I tried to set up a shop here initially and lost about 13 lakh taka. I didn't have papers for two years. Then when I made some money, I prepared documents.

DS: You never got caught by the police when you were without papers?

RA: Yes, I did get caught once. I called up an Egyptian and he got me released overnight. No big deal if you have the right contacts.

DS: There are a lot of Bangladeshis living here alongside many Indians, Pakistanis and Nepalese. Do the Bangladeshis ever get into trouble with them?

RA: Not that I know of. Bangladeshis get into trouble with Bangladeshis most. People of two specific districts cause the most trouble here.

DS: I heard many occupants in these areas were evacuated before the World Cup.

RA: Yes, the authorities thought there would be a lot of tourists during the World Cup, but there hasn't been enough. So, these complexes have remained largely vacant.

DS: Has the World Cup brought any change to your fortunes?

RA: Not me personally. Maybe the taxi drivers and people in other professions have benefitted from the construction boom, but since I work on my own, it hasn't made a difference to me.