RI migrant workers want to return to Malaysia, legally
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan
Rini Sulistiya, an Indonesian illegal migrant worker from the West Java town of Cirebon, has been in Medan for the past month after arriving from Malaysia.
The 27-year-old preferred not to return to her hometown, remaining in Medan to arrange the necessary documents she needed to work again in Malaysia. This time, legally.
In the past, she was frequently pursued by Malaysian authorities but now she says that she has learned her lesson.
She said she wanted to return to Malaysia through the proper channels. Her husband of 10 years, Suprapto, is still working there. Her two children are staying with her parents in Cirebon.
"I want to go back and work in Malaysia so that I can see my husband again. He asked me to return after getting the required documents to avoid being chased around by the Malaysian police," Rini told The Jakarta Post at the one-stop service at the immigration office in the port-city of Belawan, near Medan.
Indonesia and Malaysia jointly launched the one-stop service that requires Indonesian migrant workers to pay a Rp 3 million (US$320) fee to obtain all the necessary documents to work legally in Malaysia.
Malaysian authorities will start a massive crackdown on illegal immigrants on March 1.
After initially offering a three-month amnesty, which ended Jan. 31, 2005, Malaysia delayed the raids to allow the Indonesian government time to concentrate on the handling of the earthquake and tsunami disaster that devastated Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam and parts of North Sumatra on Dec. 26.
Rini hoped that working legally in Malaysia would be more beneficial for her. As an illegal worker, she was paid less than those legally employed even though they worked in the same company.
For instance, she said that an illegal worker was paid RM550 (Rp1.3 million) a month at a cleaning service company, compared to about RM700 for a legal worker.
"As an illegal worker, I'm always worried about my safety. I always feel insecure, fearing being caught by the authorities. But legal worker can sleep soundly," Rini said.
Rahmat Saleh from Surabaya said he had been working illegally for the past three years in a restaurant at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur.
The feelings of insecurity, he said, came mostly after work, when he had to avoid routine raids on illegal workers conducted by the Malaysian police.
"There's no problem with the pay. I get RM700 per month. But I must get around quietly, even to my house, to avoid being caught by the police," said the 31-year-old who intends to return and work legally in Malaysia.
He has been back in Indonesia for the past two weeks. However, Rahman did not visit his hometown of Ngagel Rejo, Surabaya.
Along with other workers, he remained in Medan to organize the necessary documents at the one-stop service in Belawan -- which started operating on Wednesday -- so as to get back to Malaysia as quickly as possible.
Indonesian workers wishing to work legally in Malaysia have been complaining about the costly fees set by the government to process their passports, work permits, transportation and other services.
"The fees are too high for us," Rini said.
More fortunate workers, she said, have signed work contracts with their employers in Malaysia who have given them money to pay for the immigration expenses. But, she added, the money is more often in the form of a debt that has to be paid back through salary deductions once the workers return to work.
Syopiah from Bangkalan, East Java, for instance, would have to pay her employer RM200 a month to pay back the loan so she could register as a legal worker.
The mother of one said she had been placed in a factory in Taming Jaya, Kuala Lumpur, with a monthly salary of RM800.
Indonesian ambassador to Malaysia, Roesdiharjo, who observed the registration procedures at the one-stop service in Belawan on Wednesday, said the service would eventually be offered at 11 different places in Indonesia.
According to information from the immigration office, around 200 would-be migrant workers applied for new documents at the one-stop service in Belawan on the first day of operation.
In response to complaints about the high fees, Roesdiharjo said that, "As long as there is detailed breakdown of expenses that can be justified, I don't think there's a problem".
He said there were at least 250,000 illegal Indonesian immigrants still in Malaysia but expressed his optimism they would return home before the amnesty deadline expires to arrange their documents.