The return of Indonesia's economic fighters

The return of Indonesia's economic fighters

Tens or even hundreds of thousands of illegal Indonesian workers are being hunted by Malaysian security personnel. They will be repatriated to Indonesia after they receive corporal punishment.

The misery faced by the Indonesian workers is likely to be compounded once they find out that the unemployment rate in their country continues to rise. Some foreign manufacturing companies plan to relocate their businesses to Cambodia, Vietnam and China, which they regard as competitive business places.

One of the foreign investors who will relocate their businesses to Vietnam is Matsushita, the Japanese electronics giant which has been operating in Indonesia for the past three decades.

It is thus high time for Indonesia to begin improving its educational system nationwide so as to produce skilled human resources.

Nevertheless, the Indonesian workers deserve recognition as economic fighters, as they have been remitting foreign exchange to their home country.

To improve Indonesia's human resources, the country should be selective in sending Indonesian workers overseas.

-- Bisnis Indonesia, Jakarta