To «cover» means to conceal something; to cover a Muslim means to conceal their faults and hide their shortcomings. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever conceals the faults of a Muslim, Allah will conceal his faults on the Day of Resurrection."
Concealment, therefore, is a praiseworthy trait encouraged by our true religion, but unfortunately, it is rare in our time due to the prevalence of scandals, which are spread here and there, aided by "social media" and the leniency of those who publish them—a practice criminalized by the Cybercrime Law.
As for commercial fronting, it involves enabling an expatriate to invest or engage in commercial activity on his own account. A citizen is considered a frontman if he allows an expatriate to use his name, license, or commercial registration to conduct business.
Unfortunately, we have become accustomed to seeing shop owners who are expatriate workers, and we "admire" those Saudis who act as frontmen for them in exchange for a pittance of riyals that is not worth the sacrifice.
But in reality, this is not a sacrifice; rather, it is evidence of the absence of a deterrent system against such practices, which have deprived the nation’s citizens of investment and self-employment opportunities, so that the expatriates being sheltered have formed "lobbies," supporting one another to continue amassing money and transferring it out of the country with ease! Money that has been leaving and not returning for decades, and a massive monopoly that excludes the local citizen wishing to trade from the competition.
These are disastrous practices, but unfortunately, we have become so accustomed to them that we now view them as normal and natural—and that is the biggest problem!
We need a deterrent system that is stronger and stricter than the Ministry of Labor’s "Nitaqat" program for job localization and Saudization, for despite the importance of that matter, fronting is the most critical issue. The private sector creates jobs, not seeks them, and at the same time, it brings in funds that may go to waste under fronting practices.
We have seen some action by the Ministry of Commerce to combat fronting, but the issue is bigger than merely punishing and publicly shaming a number of violators; but we need a national economic plan spanning the coming years to eradicate this scourge and encourage our citizens to work in and manage their own businesses, thereby preserving the billions of riyals that are leaving the country never to return!
What is even more distressing is realizing that the harm caused by this fronting is not limited to the outflow of funds; it also leads to poor quality in the product or service provided, whether in maintenance, "retail," or in other fields. Furthermore, it directly harms young entrepreneurs who wish to manage their own businesses, build them up, and maintain quality and fair pricing—a situation that may drive them out of the market within the first few months.
Fronting is an issue that requires serious consideration, as well as a radical solution that helps encourage competition, raise quality, and thereby combat the commercial fraud resulting from this phenomenon. I believe the issue is more complex than simply outlining its causes in an article or finding solutions in a few lines; it requires specialists in various fields to understand and resolve this problem. What is certain is that it requires a genuine commitment to eliminate fronting, as well as a firm and determined administration that encourages citizens to engage in genuine investment rather than using these workers as fronts.
