Another Nunukan?
News of the planned deportation of Indonesian workers from Malaysia brings to mind those pitiful images again -- men and women fleeing the neighboring country to escape arrest, detention and caning.
The collective recollection of the incident in 2002 is that of some 200,000 of our migrant workers stranded in the border area of Nunukan, with a few resorting to "selling" their children to people who could afford to take care of them; of those who, exhausted of their resources, died of starvation and illness; and of slow measures on the part of the seemingly aloof Indonesian government -- in contrast to those of the Philippines -- in attempting to lobby Malaysia and protect its citizens.
Deportation need not produce such images -- at least in theory. Like the recently announced plan to deport 1.2 million "illegals", mostly Indonesian, the action under Malaysia's immigration policy targets undocumented, illegal workers, so that the receiving and sending countries of authorized migrants may benefit the most from the millions of workers who choose to better their lives through working abroad.
A receiving country can only protect foreign workers if their whereabouts are known, and therefore documented. So far, many cases of abuse become known about only when men or women turned up at the doors of the embassy or police, stripped of their passport and other documents and, in effect, their life's dreams.
Malaysia recognizes that millions of Indonesians contribute crucially to its labor force, such as in looking after their children or working the plantations and skyscraper construction projects where native labor is in short supply. But when things get ugly, as with Indonesians who may be illegal workers becoming involved in criminal activities in their host country, its government is pressured to take tough action against foreigners who have abused or overstayed their welcome.
The long history of Indonesians migrating to work in Malaysia is partly a product of the porous borders of neighboring, but sovereign, states. But this, it appears, has not led to sufficient appreciation by both governments that both countries are in thrall to the recruitment and sending of illegal migrants, which has clearly continued unabated.
Hence the more or less stable estimates over the years of illegal workers: Malaysia announced it was going to deport 1.2 million, many of whom might have simply returned through their old connections, after deportation a few years ago.
Official figures from the Indonesian Ministry of Manpower put properly authorized workers in Malaysia at 580,000 while the ministry knows of only 500,000 illegals from Indonesia.
At present, the stance expressed by the Indonesian government ahead of the planned deportation is that it hopes both governments stick to an agreement on the issue. A memorandum of understanding states that, as of Aug. 10 this year, Malaysian employers may hire Indonesian workers only from authorized Indonesian labor recruitment companies that have trained the candidates.
A further understanding in the agreement, signed three years ago, is that in the event of deportation, both countries share costs and deportation will be gradual. Under such a coordinated deportation policy Malaysia would transport illegal workers to Indonesian ports in North Sumatra, Jakarta and East Java, while Indonesia would be responsible for returning them to their hometowns.
At this point we can only hope that compassion underlines Malaysia's deportation policy and ensures that whatever rights the workers have are protected.
The workers should, in theory, shoulder the blame for ignoring information on how to apply for work in Malaysia, although they are gullible to know-it-all middlemen who tell them that the proper procedures are complex and costly. But they are also likely to be ignorant that governments have failed to deter this age-old problem on both sides of the border, particularly given the remittances to Indonesia, which totaled almost US$35 million last year.
Indonesian Minister of Manpower Jacob Nuwa Wea also said deportation measures would only be effective if Malaysian employers, despite trying to minimize their labor costs, refrained from hiring cheaper, illegal workers.
The Indonesian government has left people in a difficult position as many of the poor simply cannot afford the compulsory education required of migrant workers, even if it is only at elementary school level for certain types of work. Hence, an endless circle of people seeking a short cut to a better life, being preyed on by human trafficking networks, which invariably involve the collusion of officials.
Compassion and responsibility, on the part of both the host and receiving countries in the event of the upcoming deportation of these workers, would at least send a message of firmness, rather than aloofness and cruelty, to millions who must find a way to feed their families. That is the least our citizens could hope for.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian government must think urgently about how it will deal with an additional 500,000 unemployed people.