Boat people from Indonesia?

Boat people from Indonesia?

Much has been said and written about the plight of the
Indonesians who feel compelled to seek a better life in
neighboring countries, Malaysia and Singapore in particular.
There also can be no question about the government's sincerity in
trying to resolve the problem as well as is possible under the
current very difficult circumstances.

Yet, in spite of all that has been done, the uncomfortable
impression is hard to shed that not enough attention is being
paid to the issue of Indonesians looking for jobs in neighboring
Malaysia and Singapore. No doubt, this lingering perception
springs, at least in part, from the strong humanitarian dimension
of this particular problem.

What is happening is that the fears that worsening economic
conditions in this country will force thousands of Indonesians to
migrate overseas are becoming reality. And the economic and
humanitarian consequences of this reality are huge.

It was reported earlier this week that in Malaysia alone about
19,000 illegal migrants -- almost all of them Indonesians -- were
reported to have been arrested since January, which is twice the
number caught during the whole of last year. Police raids on
squatter villages are launched almost nightly. The Malacca Strait
is being patrolled intensively by Malaysian navy and police boats
assisted by helicopters.

Realizing the well-nigh impossibility of effectively stemming
the tide of refugees coming from across the strait, Malaysia is
penalizing boat captains and citizens who are found to be
harboring illegal immigrants -- a measure that could be less
effective considering that many people from Indonesia have
settled for years in Malaysia. Some of them are surely likely to
offer convenient hiding places for newcomers.

To a lesser extent the same problems also confront Singapore.
But while Malaysia offers Indonesians comparatively familiar
cultural and racial surroundings, Singapore presents would-be
refugees a much more alien urban and racial environment, as well
as harsher penalties. Nevertheless, Singapore too is feeling the
impact of Indonesia's economic crisis.

To Indonesia's neighbors, the issue of the illegal workers
presents an awkward dilemma. On the one hand, both Singapore and
Malaysia have the well-being of their own people to take care of.
Malaysia, and to a considerably lesser extent Singapore, are also
feeling the crunch of the regional crisis. Neither can afford to
play host to tens of thousands of newcomers competing for jobs.

On the other hand, we can be certain that neither Singapore
nor Malaysia is feeling very comfortable meting out harsh
punishments to people who, compelled by hunger and want, are
coming to their shores to find a better life. In fact, the
Malaysian authorities in particular have already shown
considerable goodwill by allowing thousands of illegal Indonesian
migrants to be employed in plantations.

The big question now is what Indonesia can do to alleviate the
burden which the prolonged crisis has created for the masses of
Indonesians, especially the hundreds of thousands of people who
have lost their jobs and their livelihoods. The stop-gap measures
that have been taken so far certainly have their merits. But only
a comprehensive solution will suffice to really allay the
pressing burden. It is rather comforting to see that the latest
signals emerging from the government seem to indicate that at
last a real beginning is being made to drag the country out of
the present crisis.