Workers shun onerous rules to enter Malaysia illegally

Workers shun onerous rules to enter Malaysia illegally

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta

The large number of Indonesians living and working illegally in
Malaysia is closely connected with "the complicated and expensive
formal procedures" at home, and the absence of strict law
enforcement in the neighboring country, according to labor
activists and exporters.

Endang Sulistyawati, chairwoman of the Pancakarsa Foundation
in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara, told The Jakarta Post by
telephone on Thursday that a large number of villagers from the
province had illegally entered Malaysia because of what she
described as the excessively convoluted and expensive legal
procedures imposed for migration through official channels.

Job seekers are required to secure the permission of their
wives/husbands, recommendations from local authorities, pay
between Rp 1.5 million and Rp 4.5 million in "recruitment" fees
and undergo a one-month vocational training course before their
departure.

"Besides being forced to comply with these onerous procedures,
which take months and cost millions of rupiah, many poor,
uneducated job seekers end up being been held in holding centers
in Jakarta, Tanjungpinang and Batam, and sometimes even wind up
working in the sex trade before finally being sent to Malaysia.

"Therefore, many job seekers choose the illegal but quick way
to enter Malaysia as it requires no advance payments and not so
many documents," Endang said, adding that most illegal migrants
ended up being underpaid in Malaysia because of their
undocumented status.

Malaysia has launched almost annual forcible repatriation
drives affecting thousands of illegal Indonesian migrants --
something that has strained the two nations' bilateral ties
particularly over the last five years.

More than 70 workers died of hunger, malaria and other causes
in Nunukan, East Kalimantan, and hundreds of others were jailed
in East Malaysia between May and September 2002, when the
Malaysian government started to enforce its strict new
Immigration Act requiring the expulsion of all illegal migrants.

The Immigration Act was introduced against the backdrop of an
increasing level of criminality involving illegal migrants.

Nevertheless, the demand for migrant labor in Malaysia remains
high as most Malaysian workers are not interested in low-paid,
menial jobs in the construction and plantation sectors.

Yunus Yamani, chairman of the Trust Funds (Wali Amanah)
providing social security cover for workers employed overseas,
said most Indonesians working illegally in Malaysia were poorly
educated.

"The procedures are not complicated and the recruitment fees
are not expensive compared to the minimum monthly wage of 450
ringgit. In addition, most never finished elementary school, one
of the various administrative requirements job seekers have to
satisfy if they want to work overseas legally," he said.

Labor exporter Saleh Alwaini blamed both Indonesia and
Malaysia for the illegal migrant problem, saying both governments
were not serious about preventing Indonesian migrants from
illegally entering Malaysia.

"Besides the lack of a visa requirement, the relevant
authorities here allow Indonesians to enter Malaysia to seek jobs
without the necessary documents, while the Malaysian authorities
fail to deal firmly with Malaysians who employ illegal foreign
workers," he said.

Meanwhile, Marty Natalegawa, spokesman for the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, said on Friday that the Indonesian government
had already sent a diplomatic note to the Malaysian authorities,
asking for cooperation in the planned deportation of illegal
migrants.

"We hope the Malaysian government will inform our embassy at
least seven days before the deportation process," he said.

The Indonesian Embassy in Malaysia, Marty said, has set up a
work unit assigned to help identify problems and monitor the
development of Malaysia's policies and respond to them quickly.

He added that the government was planning to meet officials
from related institutions in Malaysia, particularly from the
foreign ministry and the ministry of human development resources,
to further discuss the issue.