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.