RI eases up on KL over migrant workers

RI eases up on KL over migrant workers

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government has admitted that it sees no real chance of
persuading Malaysia to lift its restrictive policy on Indonesian
migrant workers in the near future.

Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Jacob Nuwa Wea said on
Thursday that Indonesia would just wait until the Malaysian
government had calmed down before talks on reopening the border
to Indonesian migrant workers.

"We cannot force our will on someone who is angry with us. Let
the dispute subside, while waiting for the results of a joint
commission set up to settle the matter.

"There is still a chance the restriction will be lifted. The
Malaysian government may let in workers from countries other than
Indonesia, but companies there are keen on employing
Indonesians," Nuwa Wea said after attending a Cabinet meeting.

The Malaysian government claims there are 450,000 illegal
Indonesian migrant within its borders, and it plans to deport
10,000 of them every month.

Malaysia has put a restriction on Indonesians working as maids
and plantation workers after recent riots by Indonesian
industrial workers.

During a meeting between relevant ministers of the two
countries earlier this week, Malaysia rejected a plea by
Indonesia to review the new restrictions on Indonesian workers.

An official said Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad
would visit Jakarta later this year, adding that Indonesia would
host a meeting of the joint commission next year.

Nuwa Wea said he would visit Malaysia for talks with Malaysian
ministers of home affairs and human resources.

"I will meet the officials when conditions are favorable. The
most important thing is, is that we have to fight for hundreds of
thousands of Indonesians who will be affected by the new labor
policy," said Nuwa Wea.

Separately, House of Representatives deputy speaker Tosari
Wijaya criticized the government for not doing enough to protect
Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia.

He said that as long as Malaysian companies were willing to
employ Indonesians, the Malaysian government had no right to
expel them.

Tosari, who is a unionist, will lead an eight-member
delegation of the Federation of Indonesian Labor Unions to
Malaysia next week. They will meet and solicit support from their
Malaysian counterparts.