Plight of illegal migrant workers

Plight of illegal migrant workers

Yusup Priyasudiarja, Contributor, Yogyakarta

Memburu Ringgit, Membagi Kemiskinan, Fakta di Balik Migrasi
Orang Sasak ke Malaysia (Hunting Ringgit, Sharing Poverty,
The Facts Behind the Migration of the Sasak People to Malaysia);
By Abdul Haris; Pustaka Pelajar, Yogyakarta, 2002; 208 pp

Indonesia has learned that the issue of illegal migrant workers
has the power to damage its diplomatic ties with neighboring
Malaysia.

The mass exodus of illegal migrant workers from Malaysia prior
to the July 31 implementation of a new immigration act in that
country has been accompanied by much human misery. Over 70
people, most of them stranded in Nunukan, East Kalimantan, died
because of a lack of sanitation and proper medical treatment.

The Indonesian government has been blamed for its failure to
take immediate action to provide adequate aid, be it medical
service or food.

Compared to the Philippine government, Indonesian officials
seemed less sensitive to the plight of its illegal migrant
workers. And most of these workers have insisted on returning to
Malaysia. Why? Are economic considerations the only thing drawing
these workers to Malaysia?

Abdul Haris, the author of Memburu Ringgit, Membagi
Kemiskinan, tries to explain the reasoning of the workers. He
undertook field research among the Sasak people in West Nusa
Tenggara, particularly the residents of Masbagik.

Masbagik is well known as one of the main sources of illegal
migrant workers. High unemployment and low graduation rates are
the main factors for the large number of residents who leave
Indonesia to look for work.

Abdul's research focused on migrant workers who went to
Malaysia and then returned home. He also conducted research in
three states in Malaysia: Johor Baru, Selangor and Subang/Kuala
Lumpur.

Abdul -- a population researcher at Gadjah Mada University and
a lecturer at Ahmad Dahlan University, Yogyakarta -- said the
migration of a population should be viewed not only from an
economic perspective, but also from a sociocultural one.

He points out that the growing number of illegal migrants to
Malaysia is in fact closely related to a sluggish bureaucracy and
the poor performance of local administration officials. As a
result, the administration's programs in handling and sending
laborers overseas cannot be implemented properly, and in the end
only benefit labor recruiters and decision-makers.

The expensive and time-consuming procedure to go overseas to
work legally force many people to turn to taikong (middlemen).
Consequently, the migrants are vulnerable to exploitation and
violence.

It is believed that the large economic growth between West
Nusa Tenggara and Malaysia is the main cause of the population's
migration.

Characteristically, the migrants going to Malaysia are poorly
educated, unskilled and between the ages of 15 and 40. Most are
only elementary school graduates. Therefore they generally find
work at plantations. They are unable to pursue better jobs due to
their educational backgrounds, and they cannot compete with
workers from the Philippines, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Vietnam.

But do the migrant workers finally succeed in making better
lives for themselves in Malaysia?

Most of these migrant workers in Malaysia live in poor
conditions and have to work beyond their capacity, with low wages
and no legal protection. In the end, hunting Malaysian ringgit
remains a fantasy for them, a dream which never comes true. Abdul
calls this situation a "transfer of poverty" (page 191).

It is true that the money they earn supports their families,
boosts businesses in their hometowns and helps local
administrations. To a certain extent, it also contributes to the
government's foreign exchange earnings.

But the truth is that this only serves to camouflage the true
living conditions of the migrant workers. Back in the workers'
hometowns the money is used to pay debts, as the workers usually
had to borrow money from middlemen or mortgage their rice fields
before heading to Malaysia.

Workers returning home also experience psychological and
sociological distortions. One migrant worker said returning home
to Indonesia was more terrible than leaving to Malaysia.

"I had about Rp 2 million but on the way home I was robbed by
my fellow countrymen in my own country," he says.

Migrant workers usually face risks on their way home:
exploitation, violence and robbery.

"I had to bribe officers at harbors, the police and middlemen
to reach home. At last, I only had Rp 200,000 left. Some of my
friends had no money left when they got home. It's tragic!" he
added.

But such stories do not prevent more Sasak people from going
to Malaysia, where they believe they can make better lives.

Abdul found that the number of workers returning home does not
influence the number of workers migrating to Malaysia.

Economic pressure continues to push them out of the country.
This is also a great loss for the local administration, since
most of the migrant workers are from the most productive age
group. Hence, their departure hurts the labor force in the home
areas.

In the last chapter, the author suggests the government pay
greater attention to the fate of the migrant workers, especially
those in Malaysia.

According to the author, they must be regarded as citizens who
have the same rights as others. The recruitment process for the
workers must be improved and legal aid for those in need of it
must be prioritized. Also, the government must improve the
skills of the workers to allow them to compete in an
international market.