Business booms for Nunukan islanders<\/p>\n
Fitri Wulandari and Tertiani Z.B. Simanjuntak, Nunukan, East Kalimantan<\/p>\n
\"Has your passport been sorted out?\" asks the owner of a store in
\ndowntown Nunukan Island of anyone whom she believes does not
\nbelong to the island, Indonesian migrant workers in particular.<\/p>\n
Her inquiry, warm though it may sound, is far from an
\nexpression of sympathy for undocumented Indonesian migrant
\nworkers who flocked to the island after Malaysia imposed a tough
\nnew immigration law last month. In fact, the store owner, like
\nmany other inhabitants of the island, has been benefiting from
\nthe presence of migrant workers by offering a variety of
\nservices, from passport processing to providing accommodation.<\/p>\n
Located in the easternmost tip of East Kalimantan in the
\nborder of the Malaysian state of Sabah, Nunukan island, the
\ncapital of Nunukan regency, has become a favorable transit point
\nfor job seekers from East Java, Sulawesi and the Nusa Tenggara
\nislands.<\/p>\n
The island's population is less than 22,000 and the arrival of
\nmigrant workers, whose number is three times that of the locals,
\nhas overwhelmed the island.<\/p>\n
Even before the influx of the migrant workers, Nunukan was not
\na very impressive town. The arrival of the migrants has simply
\nworsened the town's dull and chaotic appearance. Now it is simply
\npacked with people. Everywhere you go, there are people, young,
\nold, women, men and children, those 17,600 migrant workers still
\nwaiting to have their documents processed before returning to
\nMalaysia.<\/p>\n
The coastal town, which is hot at the best of times, has
\nbecome unbearably hot with the presence of workers who fill the
\nhouses of local residents, vacant buildings, makeshift tents,
\nfields and markets. Many even occupy the fish market, looking
\nreally miserable.<\/p>\n
Despite the problems, the islanders have benefited from the
\npresence of the job seekers. For decades, locals have run
\nbusinesses that cater for the migrant workers. The number of
\nhotels and inns, restaurants and public transportation vehicles
\nhas continued to rise, at a rate faster than the rate of growth
\nin any other sector. These businesses have become the second-
\nlargest source of revenue for the young regency.<\/p>\n
Many islanders also work as middlemen to help migrant workers
\nobtain an ID card issued by the local administration. Others
\nspecialize in obtaining a special identity card for Indonesian
\nmigrant workers, known as a KITKI.<\/p>\n
Others still arrange passports or short-time travel documents,
\neven though they are not authorized to do so. Providing
\ntransportation for workers to the city of Tawau in Sabah is
\nanother lucrative business, as is the processing of job
\ncontracts, either through Indonesian manpower supply companies
\n(PJTKIs) or their counterparts in Malaysia. Those with sufficient
\ncapital run mobile money exchange services, as Malaysia does not
\naccept the Indonesian rupiah.<\/p>\n
Business thrives on Nunukan mainly because most of the
\ninhabitants are from the Bugis tribe of South Sulawesi or people
\nfrom the Nusa Tenggara islands. Both are known to be pioneers in
\nstarting and running risky businesses, including smuggling.
\nIndeed, they effectively dominate the informal sector.<\/p>\n
The Bugis and Nusa Tenggara people account for nearly half of
\nthe total 38,387 population of the island. The island's
\nindigenous people, the Tidung tribespeople, make up less than 3
\npercent of the population.<\/p>\n
Prior to 1999, the area that today makes up Nunukan regency --
\nthe land area in northern East Kalimantan and Nunukan island --
\nbelonged to Bulungan regency.<\/p>\n
Nunukan island lies to the south of the Sipadan and Ligitan
\nislands, whose ownership is contested by Malaysia and Indonesia.
\nDuring Indonesia's confrontation with Malaysia in the early
\n1960s, Nunukan played a critical role. It served as the first
\nline of defense for the Indonesian Navy.<\/p>\n
Nunukan regency covers a total area of 14,585.70 square
\nkilometers. It has five districts, Nunukan, Krayan, Lumbis,
\nSebakung and Sebatik. Nunukan island is located close to Sebatik
\nisland, which belongs to both Indonesia and Malaysia.<\/p>\n
The regency is among the least developed regions in the
\ncountry. Only few of the residents have a university education,
\nas most feel a high school education suffices.<\/p>\n
In 2000, Nunukan had an annual budget of Rp 46.5 billion
\n(US$5.2 million), which was mainly derived from East Kalimantan's
\ntax revenue from the oil and gas industries. Last year the
\nregency's revenue, mainly from tax, stood at Rp 600 million.<\/p>\n
As capital of the regency, the 21,450-square-kilometer island
\nis the main gate to neighboring Tawau in Sabah. Rather than
\nshopping at East Kalimantan's Tarakan island, Nunukan residents
\nprefer to go to Tawau by boat. A trip to Tawau costs only Rp
\n50,000 per person, although travelers have to obtain beforehand a
\nspecial passport (border crossing pass, or PLB) to cross the
\nborder.<\/p>\n
Malaysian businesspeople, meanwhile, use Tunontaka harbor, the
\nisland's main and official port, to take a small plane to the
\nEast Kalimantan capital, Samarinda, or the affluent Bontang
\nregion to play golf.<\/p>\n
The significance of the island can be traced back to 1938 when
\nthe Bugis and Nusa Tenggara people, mainly from Flores, first
\nused the island as a transit point before entering Tawau to trade
\nspices and cocoa. The British government then employed them to
\nwork in the cocoa or rubber plantations in Sabah. Many of the
\npioneer workers settled in Sabah.<\/p>\n
The three-year work contract issued by the British attracted
\nother migrant workers from other parts of Indonesia, including
\nthose from East Java, to try their luck in the \"adjacent
\nvillage\".<\/p>\n
In recent years, things have changed and it is not as easy as
\nbefore to find work in Malaysia. However, with many of the Bugis
\nand Nusa Tenggara people now living in Sabah, new job seekers
\nfind it hard to believe that the old days are really gone. And if
\nthings get rough, a short cut is available: bribery.<\/p>\n
As a result, job seekers pay more money to get a job contract
\nin Malaysia. This is due to, among other things, the
\nestablishment in 1993 of PJTKIs to organize the migrant workers.
\nEach step workers have to go through before securing a job costs
\nmoney. A 24-page passport officially costs Rp 115,000, but via
\nPJTKI agents the cost may rise to Rp 1 million. This practice has
\nbeen going on for decades and explains the high number of
\nundocumented workers. Why go through PJTKIs when there are
\neasier, cheaper ways?<\/p>\n
Many job seekers then resort to illegal means and go to
\nMalaysia without passports or work permits. They only have to pay
\nthe cost of travel from their village. As long as the problem
\nremains, Nunukan islanders will continue to benefit from the
\nsituation.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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