Anwar urges humane treatment of RI workers

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Tue, 10/30/2007 4:41 PM

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Malaysia should deal with migrant workers humanely and avoid acting arrogantly in its relations with Indonesia, former Malaysian deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim said.

During a speech at the Habibie Center in South Jakarta on Monday, Anwar, who was sacked and jailed in 1999 by then Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohammad, told the audience that distrust and suspicion were the root causes of troubled relations between the two countries.

""This means that a single case such as the arrest of an Indonesian migrant worker ... could cause heightened tensions between the two nations,"" he said.

Anwar said the only way for Malaysia to ease tensions with Indonesia was to deal with Indonesian migrant workers humanely rather than merely handing over legal or economic punishments.

""We are dealing with people here so we must act humanely and avoid abusively handling other human beings,"" he said.

Anwar said Malaysian authorities should send Indonesian migrants violating their visas home rather than jailing them.

""If Malaysians attack Indonesians they must be punished, just as Indonesians committing crimes must also be punished. This is not about ethnicity. It is about applying the law,"" he added.

Relations between the two countries soured again recently after a series of incidents involving Indonesian citizens in Malaysia.

One such case involved Indonesian karate referee Donald Peter Luther Kolopito, who was beaten up for no apparent reason in Malaysia several weeks ago, sparking widespread criticism.

Cases involving the abuse or maltreatment of Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia are also regularly reported on in the Indonesian media.

Anwar said Malaysia should avoid acting arrogantly when dealing with issues concerning Indonesia, as such an approach would only exacerbate tensions.

""We shouldn't forget that we need each other. Indonesia helped us when we needed to improve our education standards and the Indonesian system became the foundation of the current Malaysian education system. Now Malaysians need Indonesian workers in many areas,"" he said.

Relations between Indonesia and Malaysia should not depend solely on politics and should focus more on people, economic contracts and business, Anwar added.

He told the audience that a broad-based approach would prevent political interests from dictating bilateral relations in the future.

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