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Friday November 13, 2009
We welcome you but don't flout law, PM tells Indonesians
By MAZWIN NIK ANIS


PUTRAJAYA: Indonesian workers here will be treated fairly and their rights protected, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

But they do not have licence to flout the laws of this country, he added.

Najib said the presence of Indo­nesian workers was appreciated and hoped citizens of the republic working here would do so legally.

“If they are legal workers, then it is easier to render assistance and protect their rights. They will be trea­­ted fairly and justly.

“However, we hope they will not do anything wrong while working here. If there are any transgressions of the law, they will be dealt with accordingly, just like locals,” he told reporters at a joint press conference with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono yesterday.

“During my meeting with the President, I explained the matter to him and he understands our position,” said Najib.

Najib stressed that Malaysians who flouted the law and abused their workers, including foreign hired hands would also have to face legal consequences and it had been proven that those who treated their workers wrongly were taken to task.

Incidences of abuse, particularly those involving maids had irked Indonesia, resulting in the government barring its people from working here as domestic helpers.

In the most recent incident on Oct 20, maid Muntik Hani, 36, from Surabaya was rescued by police from her employer’s home toilet where she was locked for two days.

She was treated for injuries at the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital in Klang but later succumbed to her injuries.

Her employer sugarcane juice seller A. Murugan, 35, has since been charged with her murder.

There are currently some 280,000 foreign maids in Malaysia of which Indonesians make up more than 90%; 15,000 are from the Philippines and between 1,000 and 2,000 each from Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam and Cambodia.

Susilo, who was on a two-day visit which ended yesterday, said Indonesia was constanly working with its counterparts, including Malaysia, to ensure that its people working in foreign lands were treated well and given their rights.

He also expressed satisfaction over what Malaysia was doing to ensure the rights and welfare of Indonesian workers although there was still room for improvement.

“On behalf of Indonesia, I thank Malaysia for accepting my people to work here. They contribute to this country’s economic development and we hope to work closely together to improve the existing system and mechanism that looks after my people’s welfare and interest here.

“I appreciate the explanation gi­ven by Prime Minister Najib and whoever violates the law must be dealt with with a high level of transparency to avoid misunderstanding.

“I also expect Indonesians who live here to respect Malaysian laws just as we expect foreigners to respect the laws that we have in Indonesia,” he said.