28 May 2007
The rights of Indonesian workers in Malaysia still unresolved
Indonesia and Malaysia, two of the world's largest palm oil producers, reaffirmed plans to set aside a combined 12 million metric tons of palm oil a year for biodiesel production on Friday despite criticism of the industry from the West and a recent surge in palm oil prices that could threaten biodiesel projects.
By sealing the agreement (in a memorandum of understanding), the two countries have elected to join hands to battle allegations concerning the harmful effects of an expansion of palm oil plantations on human health and the environment through deforestation and the destruction of the orangutan's habitat in Southeast Asia.
The agreement also brings to the fore serious labor problems between the two countries as it fails to address the discrimination that has largely been the mark of Indonesian workers' lives in various sectors in Malaysia.
Just two weeks ago, Indonesian communities in Kuala Lumpur were outraged by the negative representation rampant in Malaysian newspapers. During a seminar titled "Indonesia in the Malaysian Media," held by IPAMSU (Association of Students of North Sumatra in Malaysia), the Indonesian Embassy's information attache, Eka A. Soeripto, criticized the derogatory usage of the term "Indon" to represent Indonesia both as a country and a people. (Bangladeshi workers, referred to as "Bangla," suffer the same type of stereotyping.) Such racial profiling in the Malaysian media creates a discomforting image of Indonesians in the country.
Nasrullah, a media expert from the University of Kebangsaan, told the audience that the association by many Malaysian journalists of Indonesian workers with criminalities and social unrest are largely unfounded. As examples, he quoted several headlines such as "Indon Mafia on the Loose," "25,000 Indonesian Workers Bring Diseases to Malaysia Every Year" and "Indon Housemaid Kidnaps a Child." The situation is made worse by the fact that Malaysian media frequently rely on the statements of the police or employers to the neglect of the workers' right to defend themselves.
In response to a letter of protest from the Indonesian government, Malaysian information minister Zainuddin Maidin said that he had appealed to citizens and the media not to use the word "Indon" to refer to Indonesians. Speaking to the Antara news agency on Thursday, at a conference of ASEAN ministers of information, Zainuddin said that he understood the use of the word "Indon" was offensive to Indonesians and could harm relationships between the two countries, which so far have been very good.
Indonesian workers comprise the biggest workforce in Malaysia. The inflow of workers to the country began in the 1980s when the country was in need of a huge number of laborers in the construction, household and palm oil plantation sectors. The two countries ever since have had to deal with the problems of illegal job seekers and human trafficking that has trodden the "secret routes" along the borders of Borneo and at many points on Sumatra and surrounding areas. Due to their proximity to Malaysia and Singapore, the islands have long been integrated into the two neighboring countries by waterways, airways and through economic treaties.
Although it is said that the Indonesian workforce plays a vital role in the economy of Malaysia, many workers are far from profitably employed. For instance, along the way from Johor Baru, on the border between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, bus passengers can enjoy the scenic, green palm oil plantations attended by Indonesian laborers. Often portrayed as poor, uneducated, amok-stricken and predisposed to crimes, many of them live lives of exploitation. Besides being prohibited from joining labor unions, the workers' documents are confiscated by their employers, virtually turning them into "illegal" workers and making them more vulnerable to maltreatment.
What has disappointed many people is the Indonesian government's lack of affirmative actions to address the problems. The case was strongly felt in 2002 when Malaysia enforced tough new measures against illegal migrant workers. Hundreds of thousands of workers both legal and illegal were forced to flee Malaysia. About 30,000 workers were for months stranded on the small island of Nunukan, in east Borneo near the border of Sabah, Malaysia. Disclosed in this case were the widespread practices of unauthorized agencies who recruited workers without labor contracts to regulate payment, working conditions and legal protection. Such unregulated conditions became a haven for corrupt officials and organized criminals in both countries.
Ironically, the exodus stalled the Malaysian construction and plantation sectors, forcing Malaysian employers to ask for the return of the workers. Five years later, there is now an at least 1.2 million Indonesian workers in Malaysia. Their work conditions have not improved despite the efforts of both governments. Racial perceptions have also affected the 30,000 plantation workers' children in the Malaysian state of Sabah, as they are not allowed to enter Malaysian public schools. For many years, these children have been taken care of by a nongovernmental organization (Human Child Aid Society Sabah) funded by the governments of Denmark and Finland. The Indonesian government plans to construct schools in plantations areas -- beginning in Kota Kinibalu -- including mobile schools since many workers live in different places.
Mutual agreements are based on trust and goodwill. Yet what has yet to be seen in the glossy rhetoric of Southeast Asian solidarity, as expressed in the MoU between Indonesia and Malaysia, is a concern for the fate of the men, women and children who bear the yoke of so-called international relations on a daily basis.
Rudy Ronald Sianturi (RudyS)
