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THURSDAY 10 SEPTEMBER 2015 • 26 Dhul-Qa’da 1436 • Volume 20 Number 6549 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com [email protected] | [email protected] Editorial: 4455 7741 | Advertising: 4455 7837 / 4455 7780 OPINION We are besieged Draft kafala by extremism! xtremism in the Arab world has perpetrated law referred Emisery and suffering due to wars that are destroy- ing eve- rything in Iraq, for final nod Syria, Libya, Egypt, Implementation a year after issuance Yemen and other DOHA: The much-awaited more than 50 years, in the new places. changes to Qatar’s kafala sys- law being introduced, terms like There tem would come into force only ‘sponsor’ (kafeel), ‘sponsorship’ are no Dr Khalid Al-Jaber a year after the new sponsor- (kafala), ‘exit permit’ (tashera al local or ship law is passed and published khurooj) will not be used, as the regional initiatives which in the official gazette. sponsorship law which has those Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Chairman of the Supreme Council for Economic Affairs and Investment, could provide a civilised The law, which would replace terms was enforced in 1963. yesterday chaired the council’s fourth meeting this year at the Emiri Diwan. Deputy Emir H H Sheikh Abdullah bin alternative to restore nor- the current sponsorship system, is They would be replaced by Hamad Al Thani, vice president of the council, attended the meeting along with Prime Minister and Interior Minister malcy. National unity and likely to be issued by the year-end newer ones like ‘employer’, H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, executive member of the council, and other members. national and religious ideolo- as its draft was yesterday referred ‘employee’ or ‘expat worker’ as gies have collapsed in most by the Cabinet to higher-ups for the new law would regulate the Arab countries. The Arab final approval and issuance. relationship of foreign worker Spring revolutions have been Like all laws, it is to be pub- with his employer based on job aborted and the outcome of lished in the official gazette. contract they mutually agree to GCC banks allowed to the uprisings has collapsed. Article 50 of the Draft Law sign. Observers these days can indicates that it is to be put into The draft does away with easily note the changes in force only a year after its pub- the exit permit system but the social media and satellite lication in the official gazette, Advisory Council has recom- TV channels – how they according to famous lawyer Yusuf mended that expatriates leaving open branches in Qatar are exploited for spreading Al Zaman. the country must inform their hatred, extremism and for The reason for the time to be employers at least three days in DOHA: Qatar will allow GCC quoting the Minister of Finance at appropriate prices, and will be mobilising terrorists from the allowed for the law’s enforcement advance, said Al Zaman. banks to open their branches in H E Ali Sherif Al Emadi, who is allocated to Qataris who are cov- Gulf to the farthest states in is to ensure that a conducive The employer would, though, the country. the council’s secretary general. ered by the housing scheme. America, instead of playing a social and economic environ- have no right to object and stop A meeting of the Supreme The meeting discussed a project Al Emadi said the council positive role in bringing peo- ment is created in the country the worker from travelling over- Council for Economic Affairs to build 2,000 residential villas for reviewed developments in oil and ple together and keep them and administrative and executive seas. If at all, that right will be and Investment chaired by Emir Qataris in south Doha on an area gas projects as well as invest- connected across the borders. agencies are ready for applying exercised only by the public pros- H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad of 2,500,000 square metres at a ment affairs. Deputy Emir HH There are a number of rea- the new system. ecution, the courts or any other Al Thani yesterday approved a total cost of nearly QR10bn over Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al sons that trigger the aggres- That would also give the private competent legal authority, said proposal by the Qatar Central four years. Thani, vice president of the coun- sive behaviour of extremists. companies covered by the labour the lawyer. And that right would Bank (QCB) in this regard. The Qatar Development Bank cil, Prime Minister and Interior Five of them have been law enough time to correct their be exercised only if there is a law- Licences will be issued to the will manage the project and offer Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah mentioned in an empirical situation to be able to comply with suit against an expat worker or banks to open their branches tenders to the private sector for bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al-Thani, study on the Islamic State the changes, Al Zaman said. any other legal issue. in Qatar in keeping with QCB construction work , infrastructure executive member of the council (IS) by the psychologist Ian He told The Peninsula yes- Continued on page 5 requirements, Qatar News and service facilities. Villas will be also attended its fourth meeting at Robertson. terday that for the first time in THE PENINSULA Agency reported yesterday designed in different models and Emiri Diwan. THE PENINSULA Continued on page 5 Retailers hit by coin shortage DOHA: Many customers are QR5,000 will be imposed if we shortage but are not relying on irked by shopkeepers offering repeat the violation,” said the banks to get coins. them poor quality toffees and retailer. “We collect coins from other chocolates in lieu of coins but He said the problem is more sources especially suppliers and retailers say they have been hit severe in areas dominated by low- traders who have a surplus. All by a shortage of coins. income expatriate workers. shops don’t need coins like us. They say that banks are “For them every dirham counts We also ask the customers to give not providing them with suffi- and they are not ready to accept coins as much as possible,” said an cient quantity of coins. Traders toffees instead of coins. It is not expatriate running a grocery in face hefty fines if an unhappy easy to convince them about the Najma area. customer lodges a complaint shortage. We will be in trouble if A banking industry source with the Consumer Protection they go and complaint,” said the said a major reason for shortage Department. retailer. of coins is that they are not cir- “The fines go up to QR5,000 Some charitable organisations culated in the market like cur- if it is found that the customer have tied up with hypermarkets rencies. “Most customers who was asked to accept the goodies, and shopping malls to transfer receive coins from shops during instead of money against his will. the customers’ small balances purchases do not carry them back We are helpless since there are to their accounts with their when they make another pur- not enough coins in circulation in approval. They have introduced chase. They prefer to keep them the market,” said a retailer run- this as a an effective way to raise at home and dispose of them only ning a supermarket in Doha. small donations from the public. once or twice in a year,” said the “It seems there is a real prob- The manager of a leading source. lem and banks are not able to hypermarket in Doha said that As a solution to this problem, meet our requests,” he added. his company was slapped with a he proposed the establishment He said recently his firm fine of QR5,000 for transferring a of tellers in shopping malls and received a warning from the very small amount to the account other public places that accept Ministry of Economy and of a charity after the customer coins and convert them into cur- Commerce following a complaint complained that it was done with- rencies. Such machines are avail- from a customer in this regard. out his approval. Small groceries able in some developed countries, “We were told that a fine of say they have also been hit by the he added. THE PENINSULA EU to take 160,000 refugees UAE defends refugee record STRASBOURG, FRANCE: The EU unveiled DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) yes- plans yesterday to take 160,000 refugees from over- terday defended its record on helping refugees stretched border states, as the United States said after criticism of rich Arab countries, saying it it would accept more Syrians to ease the pressure has welcomed more than 100,000 Syrians since from the worst migration crisis since World War 2011. The total number of Syrians living in the II. As fresh unrest in Hungary erupted, Germany Gulf state now stands at about 250,000, a UAE pushed Europe to go further and agree long-term official told AFP. binding quotas with no limits on actual numbers “Since the crisis began in 2011, the UAE has wel- to deal with a surge of asylum-seekers. comed more than 100,000 Syrians and granted them With Greece, Hungary and Italy struggling to residency permits,” the official said. cope, European Commission chief Jean-Claude In addition, the UAE had given more than $530m Juncker urged the continent to look to its history, (¤475m) in aid since the conflict began in Syria, and ignore populist parties and take decisive action.