Unsung heroes

Unsung heroes

Now that Istiqomah binti Misnad and Casingkem binti Kaspin
have come home and have been reunited with their families, the
dramatic saga of their hostage-taking in Iraq is over and closed.

The two women -- Indonesian migrant workers who, like hundreds
of thousands of others like them -- who tried their luck abroad
in their quest for a better life for themselves and their
families, arrived back in Jakarta on Thursday, safe and well.

It must have been some compensation for the troubles they
experienced that the president received the two village women at
the State Palace upon their return.

Appreciation must also go to the president for the role she
played in securing the release of the two migrant workers. As
news reports tell it, President Megawati's appeal, which was
broadcast by Al-Jazeera television in Qatar, was a decisive
factor in convincing the women's captors that they should be
released. It certainly speaks for her leadership that -- although
the timing was politically belated -- she demonstrated a deep
concern for the fate of her fellow countrywomen for all to see.

However, in regards the present -- and the future -- all this
is of little importance. Of much greater significance are the
tough questions that the Istiqomah-Casingkem drama has inevitably
left in its wake. The hostage-taking of the nationals of any
country, after all, is serious business and involves not only the
victims and their families, but also the governments and various
labor export organizations of the concerned countries.

The happy ending to this Indonesian hostage/migrant worker
drama has not eased any of the questions it has raised; on the
contrary, it has focused public attention on the irregularities
that are apparently taking place -- and have been taking place
for a long time -- in our labor export organizations and
associated government offices.

The most glaring question concerns the utter confusion that
arose at the outset of this case. The Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, which is responsible for looking after the well-being of
Indonesians abroad, found it difficult not only to establish the
identities of the two hostages, but to track down their places of
origin and families.

Al-Jazeera had identified the two as Rosidah binti Anom and
Rafikan binti Aming, but in reaching their families here, it was
found that neither of these women had gone missing. In fact, one
of them had already returned from the Middle East.

An investigation eventually established that the two victims
had been living and working abroad under false identities and had
relocated without alerting the proper Indonesian missions. The
labor placement agency that recruited them, it seemed, had for
some unexplained reason retained Istiqomah's and Casingkem's
passports and substituted them with unused passports bearing the
identities of Rosidah and Rafikan.

The question is why, and to what end? Why, indeed, since both
Istiqomah and Casingkem possessed valid passports and were in
direct contact with the agency? One can only suspect foul play.

Within the scope of their line of work, labor placement
agencies should be fully aware that falsifying identities and
travel documents are a serious offense, and can lead to long
prison terms in most countries.

Overseas migrant workers are a great asset to the country in
the booming labor export sector, and it is well known that they
not only ease the unemployment burden at home, but are also an
important source of foreign exchange earnings for Indonesia. This
year alone, the Indonesian migrant workforce -- from the Asia-
Pacific to the Middle East and Europe -- has contributed more
than US$425 million so far in foreign exchange to state coffers.

Unfortunately, they are no less valuable a source of easy
income for unscrupulous and corrupt individuals, both inside and
outside the government, who often treat them as commodities.

Meanwhile, the recruitment policies and the protection they
are provided, either by the government or by third-party agencies
and organizations, are substandard to say the least, falling far
short of international labor protection and human rights laws --
whether by design or through negligence.

With a new government slated to be sworn in later this month,
hope is rekindling that it will take up the reins to review,
amend and enforce recruitment policies and protection under a new
labor export legislation.

It is high time the government recognizes all those unsung
heroes working so far from home and hearth as the valuable assets
-- and ultimately, human beings -- they are by providing them
with universal protection and enforcing sanctions on all third
parties that commit abuses against them.