Illegal workers heading to Malaysia is chronic problem

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)