KUALA LUMPUR and JAKARTA: Indonesian labor activists are crying foul over Indonesia's government apparent acceptance of Malaysia's claims over reported discrimination of foreign workers. “I think it shows that our government is interested in money and not the rights of its citizens and hopefully this will change,” said activist and workers advocate Mohamed Petan. He told Bikyamasr.com that “Indonesians deserve more than this and we will keep pressure up.” He was not alone, with other activists saying they plan to organize demonstrations against the government over the plight of Indonesian workers in Malaysia. Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said, he met with Indonesia's manpower and transmigration minister while attending the Asean ministerial meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia recently. “Indonesia understands what non-governmental organizations do. They have their own NGOs and are aware of the role played by the latter and the media and their statements. “They (Indonesia) know what is right and what is not,” he said in a media conference. This week, Indonesian human rights activists called on the Indonesian government to take action against the Malaysian government over the treatment of migrant workers in their neighboring country. The activists called on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to stop all diplomatic relations with Kuala Lumpur in protest of how the country is dealing with immigrants. The activists called on the government to demand protection of migrant workers. Migrant Care executive director Anis Hidayah said on Wednesday that Yudhoyono did not have to consider the serumpun (brotherhood). Instead, he needed to be tough. “Among the destination countries for migrant workers, Malaysia is the most unsafe for Indonesian workers as between 600 and 700 Indonesians die of various causes, including torture, shooting and exploitative acts by their employers,” she said. Thaufiek Zulbahary of Solidaritas Perempuan, an NGO providing legal advocacy for female migrant workers, said the government should delay sending workers to Malaysia again until its government took steps, including establishing a legal framework, to protect them. Indonesia recently lifted the moratorium in labor supply, but Manpower and Transmigration Minister Muhaimin Iskandar has repeatedly said the government would not send workers until the Malaysian government ensured their protection. Indonesian Migrant Workers' Association (ATKI) chairwoman Retno Dewi also condemned the shooting deaths of three Indonesian migrant workers in Negeri Sembilan, saying it was a serious rights violation. The activists also accused the Malaysian government of intimidating Malaysian human rights defender Irene Fernandez, the executive director of Tenaganita, who has long stood up for migrant workers.
