Presidential exploitation on the tortured housemaid

Kornelius Purba, Staff Writer, The Jakarta Post, purba@thejakartapost.com

President Megawati Soekarnoputri was evidently "frustrated" by the silence of Martha Toni, the mother of Nirmala Bonat, an Indonesian housemaid working in Kuala Lumpur, whose torture by her employer shocked Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi.

The President received Martha before she flew to Kuala Lumpur to see her daughter on Wednesday, who was beaten, burned and scalded with boiling water -- injuries Badawi said would not even be inflicted upon an animal.

Martha, a native of East Nusa Tenggara, just wanted to see her 19-year-old daughter as soon as possible. The visit may have seemed, in the eyes of the anxious mother, an unnecessary delay. During the meeting, Megawati reportedly preached to the poor housewife on the procedure of sending workers abroad. Martha doesn't need a sermon, but advice on how to heal her only child from the wounds and trauma that she suffers. Perhaps, Megawati's words were lost on her -- an understandable inattention, or failure to grasp the language that the President used.

RCTI cameraman Fery Santoro, who was released earlier this month after being abducted and held for about 11 months by the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), was also "abducted" soon after his arrival in Jakarta last week, so that the President could greet him at Merdeka Palace. Fery complained about the meeting, saying that actually what he needed at that time was rest. He was bewildered as to why the appointment with the President, who is the leader of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI- P), was so pressing.

Of course, the President's side -- the PDI-P -- will quickly deny that Megawati's meetings with Fery and Martha served her political interests. Clearly, though, they hope the good publicity will improve Megawati's image as "mother" of the nation. The severe suffering of Fery, and of domestic helper Nirmala, have become, in the hands of politicians, a cheap commodity.

Is it true that Megawati is using both Ferry and Nirmala as campaign tools? If so, then she should review what her administration has really done to people like them.

What has the government done to protect our migrant workers? Just simple things: The abuse of Indonesian workers who arrive at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport continues, undisturbed. Their money is stolen by people who are assigned by the state to protect them.

The government -- especially the Indonesian Military (TNI) -- only softened its stance on Fery's abduction following public anger over the death of RCTI reporter Ersa Siregar, who was abducted along with Ferry. Ersa was shot dead during a clash between TNI and GAM last year. Many people believe, if TNI had not been so stubborn, Ersa could have been rescued, unharmed.

At that time, Megawati reportedly said the abduction of Ersa and Ferry was a logical consequence of their profession.

Many of us, perhaps, have lost our compassion. We do not care about the loss of human lives. It has become almost standard procedure for ministers or government officials to talk about financial compensation in commenting on fatal traffic accidents. The same comments are issued when workers die on construction sites.

"The government will cover medical and burial expenses": its a common statement from government officials when asked about the government's concrete action to handle such accidents.

Likewise, when police or TNI officers wrongly shot people, the only solution offered to the victims or their relatives was financial compensation. When a Presidential Security Detail (Paspampers) officer shot innocent people after a quarrel with another man on the street in Rawasari, Central Jakarta, several months ago, the case was closed after the victims received a certain sum of compensation money.

Courts often acquit corruptors who stole state money, just because the thieves returned the money. Judges pretend not to know corruption remains corruption, regardless of whether or not the money was returned.

Often we have no shame. Look at the case of former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid who was prevented from contesting the presidential election because of his health. Presidential candidates Amien Rais and Hamzah Haz are among the politicians who aggressively nominated Gus Dur as president in October 1999.

They fully knew that, even at that time, Gus Dur was practically blind and the 1945 Constitution's requirements on health have not altered since. They ignored Gus Dur's problem because they did want Megawati as president. In July 2001, the same two politicians also played a crucial role in the impeachment of Gus Dur, and the appointment of then vice president Megawati as Gus Dur's successor.

Who cares about the suffering of millions of Acehnese people? The government changed martial law status in Aceh to a state of civil emergency. Now, though, the government is preoccupied with the alleged corruption committed by Governor Abdullah Puteh rather than ending the oppression of the Acehnese people. Rumors about the governor are an old story.

When dengue fever hit the country this year, Megawati just kept silent. Government officials and private companies, however, demonstrated their sympathy for the victims. It may be noted that the cost they spent on promoting their visits -- private companies often run advertisements, just to make the public aware of the extent of their generosity -- was likely higher than the money donated to the victims.

During next month's presidential election campaign, we may witness candidates' sudden compassion for the poor. They will visit evicted people in slum areas in Jakarta and donate some instant noodles. They will regret the evictions, but the poor people's fate will not change at all.

All the candidates will vow to protect the poor, to eradicate corruption, to enforce the law, to restore the dignity of the country internationally.

People, however, have become accustomed to such manipulative practices. They will not let themselves to be manipulated without receiving something. The PDI-P, reportedly, was the biggest spender during the legislative election campaign. Megawati strongly believed that people loved her so much that they would forgive her betrayal of the ordinary people. Of course, she was shocked when her party gained 40 percent less votes than it gained in the 1999 general election.

The five presidential candidates naturally see the cases of Nirmala and Fery as golden public-relations opportunities. Perhaps, they will condemn Malaysia, and pretend to forget that the Malaysian Prime Minister condemned Nirmala's torture, while Indonesia's stance was only voiced by Ministry of Foreign Affairs' spokesman Marty Natalegawa.

When will we stop using the poor as a political commodity? Do not forget, however, the poor have their own way to punish those who abuse them, especially in the July 5 presidential election.