Malaysia defends its stance on Indonesian job seekers

Malaysia defends its stance on Indonesian job seekers

Yogita Tahilramani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Malaysia's introduction of a "hire Indonesian last" policy,
stating that Indonesians will be hired only as maids or
plantation workers, is not about discrimination against
Indonesian workers, a Malaysian envoy says.

"To us... what is valid is that on Jan. 17 a riot occurred,
which was instigated mostly by Indonesian workers and which got
grossly out of hand. That acted like a catalyst for us,"
Malaysian Ambassador to Indonesia Rastam Mohd Isa told reporters
at the Malaysian Embassy on Monday.

"Malaysians have themselves never conducted or behaved in that
manner on Malaysian soil. It was shocking."

Rastam was referring to a violent protest over drug testing in
the Nilai industrial estate in Negeri Sembilan state, on Jan. 17.

Rastam further said that he had no wish to comment on the high
rate of criminal acts and "gross violations committed by
Indonesians" in Malaysia, which reportedly included violent
thefts, rapes, murders and extortion.

"It is not because Malaysia finds Indonesian workers
particularly frightening or a threat to Malaysia... our
government believes that more job opportunities should be given
to more deserving Malaysians," Rastam said.

Rastam reiterated that under the new Malaysian labor policy on
reducing the number of foreign workers in Malaysia, Indonesian
workers, except those who were not maids or plantation workers,
would be replaced by workers from other nations.

"Once an Indonesian worker's work permit expires... and if the
person is not a maid or a plantation worker, the person will be
sent home," Rastam said.

Official data from the Malaysian Embassy states that currently
more than 769,000 legal foreign workers reside in Malaysia, of
which nearly 567,000 were Indonesians.

Rastam said that it was considering replacing Indonesian
workers with anyone from any country other than Indonesia,
including Turksmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Thailand,
Cambodia, Nepal, Myanmar, Laos, Pakistan, Bangladesh and India.

Rastam's comments came in the wake of sharp criticism by the
Malaysian government towards the "loutish" behavior of
Indonesians working in Malaysia, which reportedly included
attacking and wounding co-workers, employers, compatriots and
police officers.

Former manpower minister Bomer Pasaribu earlier urged
President Megawati Soekarnoputri to speak with Malaysian Prime
Minister Mahathir Mohamad to address the problems.

"President Megawati should address the matter personally with
Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad because the livelihoods of
hundreds of thousands of Indonesian workers are at stake ... what
will their families eat, when they come back to Indonesia without
jobs?" Bomer asked.

Malaysia's newspapers have also charged the rowdy workers with
destroying property, razing lodgings and assaulting innocent
people whenever they feel offended, with reasons ranging from
unmet demands, solidarity with other workers or sectarian
squabbles among themselves.

The newspapers have stated that Malaysian authorities,
employers and members of the public have for too long known of
criminal gangs among these workers who terrorize neighborhoods
with their robbing and raping sprees.