Funds sought to bring workers home

Ridwan Max Sijabat,Jakarta

While it seeks the funds to repatriate an estimated 600,000 illegal workers from Malaysia, the government has asked Kuala Lumpur to delay the deportation of the Indonesians until after the presidential election runoff in September.

The government has calculated that it will cost about Rp 140 billion (US$15.5 million) to bring the workers home, but has not said where the money will come from.

Interim coordinating minister for people's welfare Malik Fadjar said after a meeting with the ministers under his coordination here on Wednesday it was likely that emergency funds from the state budget would be used to repatriate the workers.

Following the same meeting, manpower minister Jacob Nuwa Wea called on Malaysia to help pay to send the workers back to Indonesia, as it had done on several occasions over the past three years.

Malik said Indonesia and Malaysia had agreed to share the cost of the deportations, with Indonesia providing the transportation and Malaysia giving the workers money to cover their traveling expenses.

"Indonesia will spend Rp 302,000 per worker to cover their sea transportation from Malaysia to their home villages, while, according to the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian government will give each of the workers between 120 ringgit and 140 ringgit to cover their expenses on the trip back to Indonesia."

The estimated cost of repatriating the workers is thought to be far less than the amount of money they send back to Indonesia and their contributions to Malaysia's economy and physical development.

Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia are thought to have sent back US$41 million to Indonesia in 2003.

Malaysia has rounded up about 1.2 million illegal workers, half from Indonesia, who were employed on development projects, on plantations and in other sectors. The planned deportation was sparked by the increasing crime rate in Malaysia.

Indonesia has told Malaysia the deportation of its nationals should be conducted in close coordination between the countries in order to avoid any rights violations or damage to bilateral ties.

Foreign minister Hassan Wirayuda said deporting illegal Indonesian workers during the election period could harm relations between the two countries.

Indonesia will hold a presidential election runoff on Sept. 20 between incumbent Megawati Soekarnoputri and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

"We have told the Malaysians to understand our situation. We are holding elections and this issue is very sensitive, not only domestically but also as far as bilateral relations are concerned," he said.

Wirayuda said Malaysia had agreed not to deport the workers before the election.

"Now we have two months to prepare ourselves," he said.

More than 70 people died of starvation and disease when Malaysian authorities expelled more than 400,000 Indonesian illegal migrants between May and September 2002.

Manpower minister Nuwa Wea said the ports of Belawan in North Sumatra, Kuala Tungkal in Jambi, Tanjung Pinang in Riau, Pare- Pare in South Sulawesi, Tanjung Priok in Jakarta, Tanjung Perak in East Java and Entikong in West Kalimantan would serve as the entry points for workers returning to Indonesia.

"The Indonesian Military will ready six warships to transport the illegal workers to the ports nearest to their hometowns," he said.

He predicted the deportation of the workers would add to the country's unemployment woes.