Internal rifts riddle association of manpower suppliers

Internal rifts riddle association of manpower suppliers

JAKARTA (JP): The Association of Indonesian Manpower
Suppliers, formed last year to end the chaos affecting manpower
exports, is now paralyzed by internal rifts, a press report said
yesterday.

The conflict burst into the open on Monday when about 100 of
the 135 members demanded that association chief Mahfudz Djaelani
account for the organization's activities and financial record.

Some members went as far as accusing the executive board,
whose term of office runs until 1998, of incompetence and
demanding they be dismissed.

Antara reported that the bickering has arisen because some
members want to impose their will on others for their own or
their group's interests. It is also fired by fierce competition
among the members.

Observers said that many executives of the organization, a
1995 reorganization of a group of worker exporting companies,
hold their posts simply because of their good connections with
powerful government officials who have shares in manpower firms.

According to Antara, the conflict has been fanned by ambitious
association members who are fighting for the top positions within
the one year-old organization.

On the surface, the conflict revolves around the members'
disagreement on the executive board's insistence on imposing
levies on workers to be sent abroad.

It is proposed that each prospective worker going to Saudi
Arabia, where most Indonesian expatriates go, be charged US$100,
those bound for Malaysia Rp 50,000 (US$21) and those going to
other countries US$50.

The fee will be managed by the Foundation for Manpower
Development, which runs training programs for job seekers heading
overseas. The foundation aims to collect Rp 34.4 billion annually
from the fees.

Mahfudz said there is no reason to worry because the proposal
is yet to be approved by the Minister of Manpower. "There is
nothing final about it," he said.

Among those opposing the plan is Malik Aliun, who heads the
association's powerful advisory board. After last Monday's
meeting ended in disarray, he took control and declared he would
form a special team to handle all the controversial issues within
the organization.

"Let me stress it again ... the association is against all
kinds of levies in line with the government's determination (to
abolish levies)," he said.

Malik said he knew some association members have been required
to pay the disputed fees although they knew their legality is
questionable.

He said the current conflict is worsened by association
members who claim to have the blessing of powerful government
officials to call an extraordinary meeting and elect new leaders.

Malik criticized the association executives who coerced
members into supporting their cause.

"Such tricks are deplorable. They (the manipulative
executives) do not seem to know how to run an organization," he
said.

The government is hopeful that in the current sixth
development plan, which ends in 1999, manpower exports will earn
US$3 billion annually from about 1.25 million workers. (pan)