Malaysia-Indonesia diplomatic relations are slowly approaching the pit of the diplomatic black-hole, despite a most cordial relationship between the top leadership.
The repeating incidents of abuses by the Malaysian law enforcement units and RELA have became the common concern of the Indonesian community.
The over-zealousness of the police and RELA officers in enforcing the Immigration laws on undocumented workers has already become a daily event, to the extent that ordinary Indonesian tourists and students have been treated as enemies of the Malaysian government.
Indonesian President, Susilo Bambang Yudhyono, was absent from Malaysia’s 50th independence anniversary, despite personal apologies from PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi over the beating of the Karate Referee in Nilai.
Prior to that, the Indonesian President issued a statement that apologies cannot be forced, and need to come from the sincere heart. It had stirred up Anti-Malaysia demonstrations throughout Indonesia.
The arrogant Malaysian foreign Minister, Dato’ Seri Syed Hamid Albar had failed in his diplomatic assignment to cool off the tension and anger of the Indonesian President.
The foreign minister had failed to sense the silent protest from Indonesian government, in the form of the downgrading of the Indonesian embassy in Kuala Lumpur, without a new ambassador appointed since February 2007.
Now the deputy chief of Mission, Mr. Abdul Rahman Fachir has been promoted to become the Ambassador to Egypt, yet no deputy ambassador has been appointed to replace him!
We wonder if Malaysian Foreign ministry really understands the mindset of Indonesian leadership and their culture, even as they start claiming our brotherhood from the same roots.
It is also timely for us to look deeper into our foreign labour policies, the laws that empower RELA to be bounty hunters, and excessive negative media exposure of the crimes linked to Indonesian transnational criminals (not undocumented workers).
Licensed maid agencies are the culprits in the human trading activities in Malaysia. The agencies’ placement fees had increased from RM1,000 to RM6,000 while the maid’s salary has only increased by about 50% from RM 350 to RM 500 per month.
It is also high time for the Malaysian government to terminate the unregulated employment of maid agencies that has become the roots of most maid abuse cases that bring our nation into the international hall of shame in the human rights records.
To revive the diplomacy of brotherhood, it is important that PM Abdullah take the initiative to revise the foreign labor policies.
The presence of the maid agencies in the recruitment and placement process should be immediately abolished.
The policies that allowed employers to withhold workers’ passports has to be revoked, because it has been a bitter pill for the Indonesian government to swallow in facing her people.
Revoke the excessive powers given by the parliament to RELA in conducting raids, and replace them with standard operating procedures that require the presence of police officers and immigration officers with the appropriate warrants
There must be an effort in the government-controlled media to promote a positive image of the Indonesian workers’ contribution to our national development
We should also develop the Joint Human Resource Development Programme to create synergies in complementing each others needs in regional development.
0 Responses to “Malaysia-Indonesia Diplomatic Tension”