Biting the hand that feeds you

Biting the hand that feeds you

Suhaini Aznam, The Star, Asia News Network, Selangor, Malaysia

The reaction in Indonesia has been extreme. Three Indonesian
dailies carried the story of illegal workers in Malaysia not
being paid their salaries on their front pages.

Media Indonesia claimed that 90 illegal workers hired by a
housing developer had not been paid a total of RM152,000 in back
wages.

The Republika cited 1,200 illegal immigrants in Gombak, 700 in
Batu Lancang and 90 more working at the housing project. All
claimed to have been cheated.

The last group, which was given meal allowance but not wages,
has written to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and also made
a police report.

Indonesia intends to sue Malaysian bosses, who have failed to
pay their illegal workers.

Media Indonesia cited Indonesian Manpower Minister Fahmi Idris
as also criticizing the enforcement of Malaysian immigration
laws, with little action being taken against employers.

"We ask that equal penalty be meted out to illegal immigrants
and the Malaysian companies who recruit them," he was quoted as
saying, referring to provisions for jail sentences and whipping
of illegals.

But that seems to deflect the point of the just-concluded
amnesty exercise.

While it is a violation for employers to hire illegal workers
and certainly wrong for some companies to cheat their workers,
the illegal immigrants broke the law by "smuggling" themselves
into Malaysia, in the first place.

Indonesia has engaged Malaysian lawyers to ensure that errant
Malaysian employers pay their workers' wages.

And indeed, the employers should pay, all the more so when an
amnesty -- the deadline of which has been already postponed
thrice -- will not go on.

We cannot condone the action of employers, who have used the
amnesty as an excuse to deny their workers their dues.

The Malaysian Employers Federation itself wants employers to
settle up. Plus, there are official channels to pursue the matter
-- the Human Resources Ministry, and also the Home Ministry.

So litigation at this stage seems an over reaction.

The Indonesian media seems to be taking a swipe at Malaysia
for a deeper reason -- that Malaysia has sent back 380,000
illegal workers, with an estimated 400,000 more still here.

While it is true that Malaysia relies on migrant labor to work
its plantation and construction sectors, should not Indonesia --
and for that matter, the Philippines, Bangladesh, India and other
labor exporting countries -- control the outflow of their labor
so that they will not burden the host country?

And in the final analysis, the onus of resolving unemployment
actually falls on the Indonesian government itself.

Malaysia has thrice postponed the repatriation of illegal
workers at the personal request of Indonesian President Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono.

In this instance, would not a polite request by one leader to
the other have sufficed?

Especially given that the last two postponements have been
extended to all illegal immigrants, even though the ones affected
by the tsunami are from Aceh alone.

If Malaysia had really wanted to be mean and nitpick, it could
have gone after all those Indonesians who were not from Aceh.
Instead the battle is being fought in the media.

Malaysia is not the enemy. In fact, it was the first to arrive
with aid for the tsunami victims.

Given its linguistic similarities, other international aid
organizations sought Malaysia's help for translations.

And today, Malaysia wants to help rebuild Banda Aceh, in
accordance with the Indonesian government's architectural
preferences.

So, why the harsh words? Is this the Asian way -- to bite the
hand of friendship?