Dear Alochoks
This piece will give you a flavour of realities for Bangladeshis in Kuwait and their Kuwaiti hosts.
Regards
Ezajur Rahman
Kuwait
Back to reality in Jleeb
Published Date: August 01, 2008
Courtesy
After almost a week of struggle, Bangladeshi workers are now back to normal and everyday life has resumed in Jleeb. I don't want to elaborate on why they are on strike as that could just add more to their anguish. Enough! Thank God their complaints were heard (though not solved - as yet), but their concerns have been the subject of interest to many expatriates, labor sectors, human rights groups and are now even the subject of heated debate in the Kuwaiti Parliament. But, back to reality, as I said!
Have you been to Jleeb area, fondly called Hasawi by many? Of course you have heard of and probably visited this place many times. Many of us knew and labeled this place as a center of prostitution, (I am sorry, but this has been known for some time), as well as other illegal activities. I based this known fact on daily reports from several Kuwaiti media outlets, including this one. Some labeled this place (Jleeb) as impoverished, dirty and filthy, a country within the country. But we have to be fair, it's
not all about Jleeb. It's said that the crime and all illegal activities going on here are mostly associated with the under-paid Asians. Authorities should perhaps take note of this sad truth.
When I visited the place to cover the laborers' protests, I noticed the heap of trash and it seemed a far dirtier place than ever. This was, as they say, the immediate effect of the absence of street cleaners and garbage collectors.
I wonder if others have noticed their poor living conditions as well. I happened to put them down in writing and published this in the Kuwait Times July 23 issue.
This time, I'll get you a quick tour of the surrounding areas of Jleeb. A long queue of buses and 4X4 pickup trucks awaiting passengers welcomes you as you enter Jleeb from the Sixth Ring Road or the extension of
add to the unimaginable traffic congestions here.
Let's move forward to several residential streets. In many places, you will notice the old and dilapidated buildings, the dirty surroundings, the different-sized banners and commercial posters draped on many walls and across building entrances.
Do you notice the people loitering around? That is normal by the way! But some of these people contribute to the grimy surroundings when they spit a red-colored liquid out from their mouth from chewing what's known as 'paan' in Hindi, also known as betel leaves, a habit like smoking, but in the case of paan, rather than being smoked, they are chewed like bubble gum.
Have you seen the spread of dirty inscriptions (vandalism) on walls of both residential and commercial buildings. They are common here. Observe the side streets. Can you imagine doing business in this neighborhood where there is not enough room to park a car and no place to stop or even rest. The narrow streets which I believe were originally designed to be two-way have become one-way nowadays. Undisciplined drivers park their cars wherever they fancy, even in the middle of the road. That is Jleeb.
Would you mind going deeper into the area? Yes, deeper in a literal sense as you may experience endless road renovations and encounters so many vehicles are damaged by ever larger and wider street holes. Good luck to your car! Have you spotted the sudden disappearance of the makeshift market stalls at the roadside in Jleeb? This was the result of endless campaigns which prevented some Bangladeshis from selling fruit and vegetables in an attempt to augment their pitiful wages of only KD18 per month which their deceitful employers withheld.
Want more? Better visit or should I say, better stay away from Jleeb instead!
[Disclaimer: ALOCHONA Management is not liable for information contained in this message. The author takes full responsibility.]
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