Life getting harder for legal RI workers in Malaysia
Life getting harder for legal RI workers in Malaysia
Rusman
The Jakarta Post/Nunukan, East Kalimantan
The Malaysia government's threat to crack down on Indonesian
illegal workers has not only affected the illegals, but also
Indonesian workers whose status is completely above board.
Some Indonesian workers in Malaysia, who have legal documents
to work there, confessed that they felt insecure following the
Malaysian government's campaign to crack down on illegals that
began in October last year. Others said that they had been
harassed by Malaysian police and citizens.
Aisyah, an Indonesian woman in her 40s, said that Malaysian
police had clamped down at her work place and neighborhood in
Sabah state, after the Malaysian government announced an amnesty
for one million Indonesian illegal workers in Malaysia in October
last year. The government vowed to crackdown on illegals after
the amnesty period ended.
The crackdown was delayed several times because of Indonesian
protests. The latest announcement of a crackdown was made several
days ago when Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi met with
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Malaysia. Badawi
said that the crackdown would start on March 1.
Despite the extension, Aisyah, who has been a worker at a
plantation company for many years in Sabah, said that she felt
that she was always being spied upon.
"We always bring our work permits and other documents
wherever we go, because Malaysian officials sometimes conduct
random checks. We will certainly always bring our documents after
March 1 when the real crackdown starts, to avoid arrest," said
Aisyah, who was in Nunukan, East Kalimantan, last week to extend
her work permit.
Aisyah is one of some 1.47 million Indonesians in Malaysia
with legal work permits. They form the backbone of Malaysia's
workforce, often doing the menial jobs that Malaysians don't
want, such as in plantations. Although their numbers are
significant, their lives are largely beyond the coverage of the
media.
For Aisyah, the crackdown policy has affected her
psychologically. Malaysians often looked down on her after
discovering that she is Indonesian.
"I felt as if I was an illegal worker. Sometimes, I want get
angry at my fellow Indonesians who enter the country illegally,
but I know it would be unwise. All I can do is suggest that they
get legal documents before entering Malaysia for their own sake,"
she said.
Hardian, 39, a resident of Tarakan in East Kalimantan, who has
been living for years in Sabah as a plantation worker, shared the
same experience. He has the impression that Malaysian citizens
and officials are no longer sympathetic to Indonesians workers,
whether legal or illegal, after the Malaysian government started
its crackdowns against Indonesian illegal workers in October.
He has found that Malaysian traders often jack up the price of
food or basic necessities when they know the buyers are
Indonesians. "I get the impression that they are all of the same
opinion, that Indonesians are disrupters of the peace in
Malaysia," said Hardian.
Rusman
The Jakarta Post/Nunukan, East Kalimantan
The Malaysia government's threat to crack down on Indonesian
illegal workers has not only affected the illegals, but also
Indonesian workers whose status is completely above board.
Some Indonesian workers in Malaysia, who have legal documents
to work there, confessed that they felt insecure following the
Malaysian government's campaign to crack down on illegals that
began in October last year. Others said that they had been
harassed by Malaysian police and citizens.
Aisyah, an Indonesian woman in her 40s, said that Malaysian
police had clamped down at her work place and neighborhood in
Sabah state, after the Malaysian government announced an amnesty
for one million Indonesian illegal workers in Malaysia in October
last year. The government vowed to crackdown on illegals after
the amnesty period ended.
The crackdown was delayed several times because of Indonesian
protests. The latest announcement of a crackdown was made several
days ago when Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi met with
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Malaysia. Badawi
said that the crackdown would start on March 1.
Despite the extension, Aisyah, who has been a worker at a
plantation company for many years in Sabah, said that she felt
that she was always being spied upon.
"We always bring our work permits and other documents
wherever we go, because Malaysian officials sometimes conduct
random checks. We will certainly always bring our documents after
March 1 when the real crackdown starts, to avoid arrest," said
Aisyah, who was in Nunukan, East Kalimantan, last week to extend
her work permit.
Aisyah is one of some 1.47 million Indonesians in Malaysia
with legal work permits. They form the backbone of Malaysia's
workforce, often doing the menial jobs that Malaysians don't
want, such as in plantations. Although their numbers are
significant, their lives are largely beyond the coverage of the
media.
For Aisyah, the crackdown policy has affected her
psychologically. Malaysians often looked down on her after
discovering that she is Indonesian.
"I felt as if I was an illegal worker. Sometimes, I want get
angry at my fellow Indonesians who enter the country illegally,
but I know it would be unwise. All I can do is suggest that they
get legal documents before entering Malaysia for their own sake,"
she said.
Hardian, 39, a resident of Tarakan in East Kalimantan, who has
been living for years in Sabah as a plantation worker, shared the
same experience. He has the impression that Malaysian citizens
and officials are no longer sympathetic to Indonesians workers,
whether legal or illegal, after the Malaysian government started
its crackdowns against Indonesian illegal workers in October.
He has found that Malaysian traders often jack up the price of
food or basic necessities when they know the buyers are
Indonesians. "I get the impression that they are all of the same
opinion, that Indonesians are disrupters of the peace in
Malaysia," said Hardian.