JP/6/E07

Law and order officers

Some time ago in the red-light district of Malvinas, Bekasi, west of Jakarta, law and order officers were mobbed by locals for looting during raids on the prostitution complex.

On Wednesday, a large number of law and order officers destroyed stalls and a passing van in Kebon Sirih, Central Jakarta, and attacked policemen who attempted to stop them.

The incident in Kebon Sirih began when the law and order officers were conducting a routine operation to remove unauthorized vendors from the sidewalk.

The officers caught and beat up a local transport touter, whom they said was a pickpocket. They became furious when locals came to explain to them that the man they assaulted was not a pickpocket.

Another group of law and order officers arrived at the site, and the fracas exploded.

What's wrong with the law and order officers?

These incidents are just examples of uniformed civilians who overact, thinking they are military men. Such an attitude could be the result of an improper recruitment system. The incidents, in the long run, could disturb their work as those who uphold the law with the result that Jakarta will be even more chaotic.

The law and order officers' show of force was indecent and out of proportion. Vandalizing property and beating people are completely unlawful in any situation. The law and order officers must set a good example of how to make things orderly based on the law.

The problem may be in the recruitment and the training. Do they join the law and order team without any proper tests? Does the city administration have adequate funds for their routine training and guidance?

The city administration should take the incident as a warning that more serious attention to the law and order unit is needed due to its essential function to make the city orderly.

-- Warta Kota, Jakarta

After two leaders meet

Friendship cannot solve all problems. Closeness between two parties is not a guarantee that discord can be avoided.

The ups and downs of ties between Indonesia and Malaysia could be cited as an example.

In recent days the relations between the two countries have been strained due to the presence of (Indonesian) illegal workers in Malaysia.

Malaysia has decided to take strong measures against the illegal migrant workers and threaten to punish them by canning or fining them.

Around 480,000 illegal workers have since returned home. This has created a serious problem for Indonesia, which must allocate at least Rp 30 billion to transport them home. While to train them to be competitive in the local market would need at least Rp 350 billion.

On Wednesday, the Indonesian government asked that the remaining 300,000 illegal workers be allowed to stay. Legalization of the workers in Johor Baru and Kuala Lumpur is in fact not complicated. However, it is not that easy for the Malaysian government to fulfill such a request.

The Malaysian employers really need workers from Indonesia, but the authorities cannot allow illegal workers to remain in the country.

This issue apparently prompted Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad to fly to Bali to meet with Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri. The two-day meeting ended on Thursday.

The two leaders inked deals, including passport-free travel for Indonesian and Malaysian citizens between the two countries beginning Jan. 1, 2003. The deal stipulates that Indonesians who want to enter Malaysia will no longer need passports, and the illegal workers, who have been expelled, will be allowed to return after obtaining proper documents from the Indonesian government.

The deal is mutual for both countries. For Indonesia, the job seekers will still have the chance to seek work in Malaysia, while Malaysia will solve its need for workers for its informal sector.

Mahathir acknowledged that his country needed Indonesian workers, but they must enter Malaysia with proper permits.

It is the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration which is responsible for issuing permits for job seekers to go abroad. Therefore, the ministry must implement the bilateral agreement properly.

Mahathir's message is that big problems could not be solved merely by friendship.

He also hopes that the illegal workers' issue does not hamper the two countries' good ties.

--Bisnis Indonesia, Jakarta