Govt, legislators divided over mending fences with Malaysia

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Surabaya

Indonesia's high-ranking officials remain divided in trying to mend fences with Kuala Lumpur over the deportation of illegal Indonesian workers from Malaysia.

While government officials were trying to tone down the issue, legislators continued to issue controversial statements, urging Jakarta to adopt a harsher stance against Malaysia.

Indonesian Vice President Hamzah Haz underlined on Wednesday the need for Indonesian officials to exercise self-restraint and to try to resolve the problem cordially.

"There should be no more controversial statements from Indonesian officials, we have to respect Malaysian regulations," Hamzah said.

His statement was in accordance with an earlier statement by President Megawati Soekarnoputri who called for an end to the trading of harsh remarks from both parties and urged them to find an immediate solution to the issue.

Hamzah also suggested that it would be better for the foreign ministers of both countries to sit and talk, and settle the row once and for all.

"We need more effective communication between the two countries and the two foreign ministers should meet," he told reporters moments before attending a Cabinet meeting.

House of Representatives deputy speakers A.M. Fatwa and Muhaimin Iskandar, however, said that Indonesia should have brought home its workers from Malaysia as an expression of protest over Kuala Lumpur's treatment of RI workers.

"We suggest the government bring home all Indonesian workers, including the legal ones so as to allow both countries to reconsider the importance of these workers," Fatwa said on a visit to Surabaya.

He said the recommendation was reached during a meeting of House leaders on Tuesday.

Fatwa and Muhaimin pointed out that Malaysia should realize that the absence of Indonesian workers following the deportation could pose difficulties for Malaysian businesses, especially those in the construction business and plantations.

Up to 700,000 Indonesians are believed to be working in Malaysia, some 480,000 of which are illegal workers.

Almost 75 percent of those Indonesian illegal workers have recently returned to Indonesia since Malaysia put into effect a new Immigration Act on Aug. 1 with sentences that may include caning, fines, and/or imprisonment for illegal foreigners.

Their return will add to the number of unemployed here which already stands at close to 35 million.

People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Amien Rais warned Malaysia on Tuesday to be aware of public outcry caused by the deportation.

Bilateral ties have been strained over the past month after Malaysia deported some 480,000 Indonesian illegal workers following its implementation of a new immigration act on July 31, which includes a minimum prison sentence of six months and up to six strokes of the cane.

Angry protesters staged a rowdy rally on Monday in front of the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta, during which they burned a Malaysian flag and broke down the front gate of the embassy compound.

Ties became more strained when 19 Malaysian were detained by police for several hours during a raid on a bar in Medan, North Sumatra. Police said the 19 were interrogated because they were not carrying passports at that time.

The incident in Medan had prompted Malaysian foreign minister Syed Hamid Albar to issue a travel warning for its citizens to Indonesia and asked Jakarta to ensure the security of Malaysian nationals living in Indonesia.

In a bid to cool down the situation, Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, stressing that Jakarta was not seeking revenge over the deportation, called on officials of the two countries on Wednesday to remain calm.

"Jakarta has never had a policy of taking revenge as some people have thought," Susilo said, referring to the incident in Medan.

He called on the Malaysian government not to issue more "disproportionate" statements regarding the incident.

"We respect Malaysian regulations and we expect them to respect ours," Susilo added.

"We urge everyone to be cautious so that the good ties we have already forged can be maintained," he said.

Separately, the Indonesia-Malaysia Friendship Association urged Kuala Lumpur to extend the dateline for the deportation of these workers until the end of this year.

Speaking in a press conference, the association chairman Try Sutrisno, former Indonesian vice president, also called on all sides to restrain from making more controversial statements regarding the deportation of the workers.