Amien warns KL not to play with fire

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) chairman Amien Rais warned Malaysia on Sunday not to play with fire by caning illegal Indonesian workers (TKIs) in that country.

"I urge the Indonesian government, in a dignified way, to tell Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Muhammad to stop playing games. Mahathir is playing with fire," Amien was quoted by Antara as saying in Solo, Central Java, on Sunday.

He did not elaborate.

Amien, who is also chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN), said that Indonesia was deeply hurt by the Malaysian authorities' decision to cane Indonesian illegals there.

"Frankly, I feel disappointed, angry, and unable to accept the fact that Malaysia, a modern country which belongs to the same Malay ethnic group (as Indonesia), has resorted to punishing Indonesian illegal workers in a way that is really inhuman," Amien said.

He said the Malaysian authorities were caning Indonesians like cows and goats, which was an insult to the country.

Dozens of Indonesian workers have been caned, fined or imprisoned since Malaysia put into effect a new Immigration Act on Aug. 1. The new Act stipulates heavy punishments for foreigners working illegally in that country. They are to be deported after serving their sentences.

A large number of the around 480,000 Indonesian illegal workers in Malaysia returned home before the Aug. 1 deadline.

The Indonesian government tried in vain to extend the grace period by a month to give Indonesian migrant workers sufficient time to return home in an orderly manner.

It also failed to reach an agreement with Malaysia when President Megawati Soekarnoputri and PM Mahathir met at the Tampaksiring Palace in Bali earlier this month.

The massive exodus has, however, created a severe labor shortage in Malaysia, especially on construction sites, where Malaysian contractors prefer Indonesians to workers from other countries.

Indonesians are considered to be skilled, share a similar language and culture to the Malaysians, and are the only workers prepared to put up with the hot and tough conditions on the sites.

Illegal Indonesian immigrants made up 70 percent of the building industry's 500,000 foreign workers, according to the Master Builders' Association of Malaysia (MBAM).

The crackdown on illegals has exacerbated labor difficulties caused by a government ban on even the legal recruitment of Indonesians for the construction industry, which was imposed in February after two riots by Indonesian migrant workers.

Last Wednesday, however, the Malaysian government reversed the ban on the employment of Indonesians in the construction sector and agreed to a new recruitment drive after property developers warned that construction sites were grinding to a halt and project delays would cost millions of dollars, and possibly push house prices up by as much as 10 percent.

According to Amien, Indonesia had to protest such harsh treatment. Otherwise, the Malaysian government would go so far as to start the stoning of Indonesian illegal workers.

"Send a special envoy to Malaysia if this is needed. If necessary, we will have to get angry with the Malaysian government. We have every right to get angry at Malaysia as we are the ones who have been hurt," he said.