Dubai – Suffering The Curse of a Deprived Workforce

For many years now, ever since the construction boom took over the city, expatriates who have spent years watching the place grow from a simple port city to a bustling market place have been talking about the bubble phenomenon. Everything around turned so unreal especially the house rents driving the working class to live in sharing accommodations, move to distant emirates like Ajman and Ras-al-khaimah thus increasing their commute time leaving very little or no time at all for their families. Some of the single men used to even rent a bed while others used to rent a bath and spend the nights in their car. Sure this had to end sometime and the Bubble had to burst. 

How and why did a lovely city like Dubai turn into a heartless metropolis in a short span of around 5 years? It all started with the dream of the Palm Jumeirah and the countless other meaningless projects all with just one purpose – to outdo each other in flamboyance, grandiose and extravagance. Desert land which until then was worthless was either sold or usually leased to developers or builders who in turn dreamt up projects on paper and turned them into hot properties. This then became the basis of huge financial transactions from banks and financial institutions – on credit of course. Then came the investors and leasers who paid huge advances as booking fees for the space they would someday own. It was all an illusion which had to one day reveal itself and it has. 

The economic meltdown may have contributed to the fall of Dubai but I see more to it than just that. I am certain that each and every one of those labourers who helped build this city is also responsible for its downfall and why not. It has been built on the sweat and blood of an Asian labour force who were deprived of basic amenities. Every one of them would have arrived at Dubai airport with dreams on their mind and hopes in their heart only to have their passports taken away and then herded into labour camps which look and function more like concentration camps. They work long hours in the desert heat or through humid nights only to return to even worse conditions. 

Over a dozen people are at times crammed into a poky room on double or even triple-decker bunk beds with his belongings piled on it as well. The summer times can get real hard with a lot of sweat and stink even if they are fortunate enough to have window a/c which is sure to keep them awake with its constant noise which is quite a racket.  

As each of these men lay a brick onto the mega structure they were building, they are sure to have cursed this city for the plight it has brought upon them. Multiply it by over 300,000 people who make up this workforce and you have a curse that even God would find hard to revoke.

Modern Dubai was built on the foundation of greed and I think that every single man who laboured to build this new city brought about its downfall – you’ll never know.