Illegal workers heading to Malaysia is chronic problem
JAKARTA (JP): The continuing outflow of illegal Indonesian jobseekers to Malaysia is a chronic problem that should be tackled jointly by both sides, according to a senior official of the Ministry of Manpower.
Repeated crackdowns against the workers and their brokers have not deterred Indonesian jobseekers from trying to enter Malaysia illegally or for Malaysian employers to recruit Indonesian workers cheaply, Director General for Manpower Placement Abdul Rachim K. says.
Even the fact that over 1,500 Indonesians have perished at sea since 1987 while crossing the Malacca straits on crammed boats has failed to deter people, Abdul Rachim told The Jakarta Post.
He said the deaths and the mass deportation of illegal Indonesian workers by the Malaysian government were regrettable because they brought misery on them and their families,
But these proved "ineffective" in teaching people not to join the bandwagon, he said.
The repeated crack downs since 1987 resulted in the arrest of 5,000 people on the Indonesian side of the border who were caught while trying to cross into Malaysia by illegal means.
Abdul Rachim said it requires determination from both Indonesia and Malaysia to stop the flow of illegal migrants. The two countries showed this commitment when they signed an agreement in December to work together in dealing with the problem by forming special teams which will meet regularly to discuss the issue and course of action to be taken.
He acknowledged that the teams have not yet met although Indonesia has already formed its team, which consists of representatives from the ministries of manpower, transportation, justice, finance, provincial administrations and the armed forces.
He stressed the need for closer coordination between the two countries in handling the problem more effectively in the future.
"Our efforts will simply be wasted if Malaysian employers or their brokers continue to lure Indonesians to work there and encourage the inflow of illegal immigrants," he said. "It's like clapping with one hand, which is impossible."
Abdul Rachim said Malaysian employers continued to recruit Indonesian workers illegally to avoid paying the standard wages required by law. Indonesian illegal immigrants, because of their uncertain status, are also easy prey for exploitation.
The number of Indonesians working legally in Malaysia is estimated to have reached around 400,000. Some 200,000 of them were sent by manpower supplier firms, and the other 200,000 were originally illegal migrants who were given amnesty by Kuala Lumpur to become registered workers.
Bureaucracy
The number of illegal Indonesian workers are not known.
Most Indonesian workers are employed on plantations, electronic factories, golf courses, and plywood factories, fishery, shipping and construction projects. Many also found jobs as domestic help.
Many Indonesians still try to enter Malaysia illegally and shun officially appointed manpower supply companies because of the cumbersome bureaucracy and also to avoid paying the hefty fees charged by the companies.
Rachim said the government plans to deregulate the administrative procedures that an Indonesian must undergo to work overseas.
"All manpower offices in the provinces have been told to improve their services and simplify the procedures to prevent people taking the illegal way to work overseas," he said. "This step is taken to support the government program of supplying more skilled workers abroad."
Abdul Rachim said the government plans another major operation as of next month to crack down on illegal jobseekers, by intensifying patrols along the borders in Kalimantan and the Malacca Strait.
"The operation is aimed not only at illegal workers but also at the syndicates which organize the smuggling of workers into Malaysia," he said. (rms)