Presidential exploitation on the tortured housemaid

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.