MPR's attention to migrant workers

In his speech to open the annual session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), the country's top law-making body chairman, Amien Rais, disclosed the MPR's plan to discuss economic recovery.

Unfortunately, in his speech, Amien did not touch on current crucial issues, such as the repatriation of illegal Indonesian workers from Malaysia.

The lack of attention to people's daily problems has not only been shown by the people's representatives but also by state officials and members of the government's executive bodies. For example, there has been no official statement from the government on the exodus of illegal Indonesian workers from Malaysia.

No ranking government official has extended a helping hand to the workers or has gone to Malaysia to have talks with officials there. The government has only sent a director general to lobby the Malaysian government.

A number of Indonesian workers have already returned home aboard wooden ships as there has been no official statement from the government on whether or not it will send a ship to fetch the workers.

Besides important issues, such as amending the 1945 Constitution, the annual MPR session should not forget other issues that have something to do with the public interest. Wealth is not something very important (for migrant workers). Having work is indeed wealth for them and that is what we should be paying attention to. -- Kompas