RI awaits clarification from Malaysia: Nuwa
Dewi Santoso and Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta
The government is ready to bring home all Indonesians working illegally in Malaysia with the hope that government will stick to the bilateral agreement on handling illegal migrants, says Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Jacob Nuwa Wea.
"The government will deploy Navy warships and passenger ships of state-owned PT Pelni to bring home illegal migrants from wherever they will be quarantined," he said on Thursday.
Nuwa Wea was responding to Malaysia's plan to deport around 1.2 million illegal migrants, mostly Indonesian, by this year. Besides assembling 250,000 semi-skilled workers over the next six months, the Malaysian government has recruited 400,000 volunteers to raid plantations and construction projects for illegal workers.
In addition to the 580,000 Indonesian nationals with legitimate jobs in Malaysia, an estimated 500,000 others have been working illegally on plantations and construction projects. Many believe, however, that number has doubled in the last two years.
Nuwa Wea said Indonesia respected Malaysian law and Kuala Lumpur's decision to deport all illegal migrants, "but it should do so in compliance with our bilateral agreement, including the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed in May".
"Malaysian authorities should take action not only against illegal migrants, but also against their Malaysian employers. This is only fair, and will prevent other Indonesians from entering that country illegally," he added.
He stressed that the mass deportation must be undertaken so as "to avoid any inhumane treatment" and to prevent the recurrence of an incident like the Nunukan tragedy.
Nuwa Wea was referring to an incident that ensued from a 2002 mass deportation of illegal workers launched by Malaysia, in which about 80 Indonesians died of starvation, malaria and various ailments in Nunukan, East Kalimantan, and hundreds of others were jailed in East Malaysia.
Under the May MOU, the two countries agreed to exchange information on labor problems and their handling, including illegal migrant workers.
In an agreement signed three years ago, the two countries established a coordinative deportation effort to curb illegal workers: Malaysia transports illegal workers to the ports of Belawan in North Sumatra, Tanjung Priok in Jakarta and Tanjung Perak in East Java, while Indonesia is responsible for returning illegal workers to their hometowns.
"If Malaysian authorities fail to comply with the agreements, the government will consider suspending labor exports to our neighbor," Nuwa Wea said, adding that he was awaiting details on the planned mass deportation.
He said Jakarta would lobby Kuala Lumpur to deport the illegals through ports located near their places of residence. For example, illegal workers from Riau could be deported to the ports of Dumai and Tanjung Pinang, both in Riau, and nearby Pare- pare, South Sulawesi.
Bomer Pasaribu, former manpower minister and chairman of the Center for Labor Development Studies, said the planned deportation of illegal migrants would worsen unemployment in the country for the next government to resolve.
He said the number of jobless was estimated to increase with the planned deportation to almost 11 million from 9.7 million currently.
"In 2002, 500,000 illegal Indonesian workers were deported. This year, there will be about 900,000, and this will increase the burden on the already crippled economy," said Bomer. Related story on Page 4