Open letter to RI govt

Allow us to take this opportunity to provide you with the political views of the Hong Kong Coalition of Indonesian Migrant Workers (KOTKIHO) with regard to the new government resulting from the public assembly of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) in July, 2001. As you may already know, Madam President Megawati, by means of the letter we sent you earlier through the Office of the Vice-President on June, 13, 2001, the number of Indonesian domestic helpers in Hong Kong has reached 60,000. More than four million Indonesian citizens work overseas, and 80 percent of those are women. This figure is certain to increase in view of rising unemployment in our dear country.

For 32 years, we lived in a fearful situation. We feared to organize, speak, or to take democratic initiatives under the New Order government's regime. Since the fall of the New Order, as a result of the struggle of the youth movement, we have begun to breathe a fresh air of freedom and independence. This wind of democracy, however, seems to be little understood by our leaders and the Indonesian people in general. The diplomatic war waged by the ruling elite is always said to be "In the interests of the people", in order to justify their own ends. They fail, however, to solve the existing problems, social conflicts, unemployment and violence towards women and children, which continue unabated and are never overcome.

Madam President, being the fifth and only woman president of the nation, our hopes and dreams, and those of our counterparts in other countries -- young men and women who continue to defy loneliness and abuses for the sake of their future and their loved ones -- rest with you. We believe that you will lead our nation into a direction of change meaningful for the people. We believe that the terrible events that happened during 32 years of Soeharto's rule will never be experienced again. There will be no restrictions or threats to the basic freedom of the people to speak out, organize and express opinions. We are sure of it because during Soeharto's regime, you yourself, Madam President, were a victim of the New Order.

In the name of human rights and democracy, we, the members and organizers of The Hong Kong Coalition of Indonesian Migrant Workers, request your government to:

1. Establish regulations for the protection of Indonesian migrant workers.

2. Ratify the 1990 UN Convention on the Protection of the Rights of Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.

3. Revoke the regulation of the Ministry of Manpower No. 204/Kep/men/1999, regarding the process of sending Indonesian workers to other countries.

4. Revoke the ruling of the Indonesian Consulate dated Jan. 10, 2001, which requires Indonesian workers to extend their contracts through an agency.

5. Eliminate corruption, collusion and nepotism, especially in the process of sending Indonesian migrant workers abroad, and in the life of the nation in general. This will require serious investigation and reform of the sending agency system operating in Indonesia.

6. Continue to uphold freedom of organization, union, association, assembly, opinion, and expression in society so as to enable the people to achieve their aspirations. A good first step towards this would be to free the 12 young people still being detained after their arrests in Bandung for their legitimate protests against changes to the labor laws and increasing fuel prices.

7. Create working opportunities for the people in their own country.

8. Create national economic and political stability.

9. Refrain from using the military as a political force by abolishing the its dual function.

SULASTRI

KOTKIHO Chairperson

Hong Kong