Another Nunukan?

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.