Twenty-six-year-old Indonesian labourer Joko Suprianto recalls that the work he did for two years at an oil palm plantation in Malaysia was no paradise.

But Joko, from Salatiga district of Central Java, had something to be proud of too, working in the Perak state. As long as Malaysia wanted its economic boom to go on, he said, the country needed Indonesians.

"Thousands of us did all kinds of work that Malaysians did not want to do," he said. "If Malaysia kicked out Indonesian workers, it would go bankrupt. Who will do dirty work for the Malaysians if not Indonesian workers?"

Joko was responding to Malaysia's new policy of curbing the number of Indonesian migrant workers, who make up most of legal and illegal labourers in the country. In recent years, Malaysia, hit by harder economic ties, has also had clampdowns on other foreign migrant workers.

Already, this policy has not only driven the two governments into a bitter encounter, but angers Indonesians who feel that this treatment is unjust.

Riots

Malaysia announced the clampdown after two riots by Indonesian textile and construction workers in January, one triggered by drug tests on Jan 17 in Negri Sembilan state and another one at Cyberjaya three days later.

Afterwards, Malaysian authorities said that all the estimated 450,000 Indonesian illegal workers were to be arrested and deported. Those with work permits could continue working in Malaysia only as domestic workers or plantation workers.

Police actions and stricter border security in the narrow Straits of Malacca and along the Penang coastline have been posted.

Police raids began early in the port city of Klang. Local media reported that six Indonesians drowned in a river as they tried to escape arrest, and more than 200 squatter homes of Indonesian workers were demolished.

Meantime, officials of the Malaysian Trades Union Congress said Malaysians should just look for other labourers, such as prison inmates, or recruit workers from other regions like Central Asia.

Remember Konfrontasi?

As anger in Indonesia rose, the English-language daily Jakarta Post wrote a strong editorial entitled 'Remember Konfrontasi?' (confrontation), referring to the tense times in the 1960s with Malaysia.

The Post said President Megawati Sukarnoputri failed to follow the steps of her father, the former president Sukarno who declared konfrontasi with Malaysia at the time, and has not been able to stand up to Malaysia on behalf of Indonesian citizens.

"Yet this is a ruling that will put an end to the livelihood of Indonesians, if we include dependents," the Post editorial said. "This is a ruling that will raise Indonesia's already high jobless figure by almost another half million. But most of all, this is a ruling that flies in our faces.

''It contravenes the spirit of neighbourliness and the solidarity among members of Asean,'' it argued, referring to the 10-member grouping that includes both Indonesia and Malaysia.

Malaysia cited security reasons as a ground for the new policy, but some here say it could not use an action of a minority of Indonesian workers to punish the majority.

Reports of maltreatment

Indonesian NGOs also say the current outrage has been fueled by reports of the maltreatment of Indonesian workers by Malaysian authorities.

Wahyu Susilo, executive secretary of the Jakarta-based Centre for Indonesian Migrant Workers (Kopbumi), says resistance by Indonesian workers in Malaysia has happened many times before.

He said the causes then and now are similar, such as "a combination of long-time maltreatment from police and employers, racial discriminations, fear of dreadful condition of labour camps and deportation''.

Joko, the former migrant worker, confirms that although he entered Malaysia legally to work, he encountered exploitation and discrimination. In 1988, he paid 1.8 million rupiah (US$180) for a visa and a four-day trip by bus and ferry to Perak. His employers subtracted half of his salary for nine months for "other expenses''.

From time to time, when he ran into police on the street, there was always a reason given for him to pay up. "I know that illegal workers paid more. As far as I know, each of them paid RM200 to RM500 to the police every month.''

To cope with extra expenses, Joko worked two jobs. This went on for two and a half years, and Joko managed to save 15 million rupiah (US$1,500). But he says he does not wish to go back to Malaysia.

"I cut at least a tonne of palm oil a day every day. I gave money to police. And then, some Malaysians still ask: Why did you come here?" he said, with bitterness.

Revise agreement

Susilo says perennial problems over migrant labour could be addressed by better protection for Indonesian workers. Jakarta must ''revise the (agreement) between the two countries and add in a measure of protection for Indonesian workers in Malaysia'', he said.

This is best, Susilo said, because the huge presence of Indonesian workers in Malaysia has made it crucial for political and economic situations in both countries.

According to the Malaysian government, Indonesians make up 566,983 out of total 769,566 legal foreign workers, while 450,000 are categorised as illegal migrants.

Kopbumi, however, cited a far bigger number of two million migrants, 1.4 million of whom are illegal workers.

For Indonesia, migrant work in Malaysia has helped absorb some of its unemployed since the 1997 Asian economic crisis and the continued poor economy.

This month, the Jakarta-based Centre for Labour and Development Studies (CLDS) said the number of unemployed Indonesians is likely to increase from 40.2 million last year to 45.2 million in 2004.

While their willingness to receive low pay upsets Malaysia's domestic wage structure, they are needed by Malaysian agro-industry and construction companies for the very same reason.

Needs and ties

Jaafar Carrim, president of the Malaysian Employers Federation, was quoted by The Star newspaper as asking the Malaysian government to reconsider its new labour policy. He said cheap labour from Indonesians has helped keep employment costs low, and benefits the economy.

"We have seen several foreign investors close their factories in Malaysia and relocate their business in China, Vietnam and Myanmar (Burma) because of the shortage of workforce and rising labour wages in Malaysia," he said.

Added Joko: "I know bosses like undocumented workers. They don't have to pay much.''

Despite the current problems, Indonesians will continue to come to Malaysia. "There is no way that Malaysian government can prevent Indonesians from entering its country," said Susilo. "There are needs as well as ties on both sides. And there are so many routes that can lead them in and keep them there."

Last year, Malaysian police arrested 61,768 illegal workers from Indonesia — nearly 70 percent of the number of illegals detained. In January this year, 4,531 Indonesians have been arrested and deported. — IPS