Foreign Affairs Minister Syed Hamid Albar has been lambasted for his "deplorable" handling of a diplomatic incident involving the brutal assault of an Indonesian citizen by four Malaysian police personnel.

Indonesian karate referee Donald Pieter Luther Kolopita, who was in Nilai to officiate at a martial arts tournament, was seriously injured in the incident about 2am on Aug 24.

Fatah Harun, the PAS parliamentarian for Rantau Panjang, referred to the incident as "humiliating" and took the minister to task for:

  • not visiting the victim in hospital;

  • delaying an official apology (to Indonesia);

  • failing to invite Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to the Merdeka celebrations; and

  • handing over all diplomatic responsibility to Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan.

This was why angry Indonesians had threatened the Malaysian badminton team in Surabaya and diplomatic missions in Medan and Pontianak, he claimed in a press release today.

"We demand that the prime minister re-evaluates the minister's position - we are of the view that he does not possess the necessary capacity to face diplomatic pressure".

He commended the IGP for pursuing the matter, describing it as "professional and accountable" handling of the matter.

Fatah had earlier filed an urgent motion to discuss the episode in Parliament today, but House speaker Ramli Ngah Talib rejected the move.

Revise Rela's powers

Fatah also raised issues relating to the government's policy on foreign workers as another matter that has affected bilateral relations with Indonesia.

He leveled a scathing attack on employment agencies that import Indonesians for work, likening this to "slave trade".

"The Association of Foreign Workers' Agents (Papa) has increased its fees by 500 percent, from RM1,000 to RM6,000, but Indonesian housemaids have seen only a pay rise from RM300 to RM500 over the last nine years."

Fatah said Papa president Zulkifli Dhalan's comment that Indonesian maids are "dirty, stupid and useless" is one reason why relations with Indonesia have soured.

Another cause of problems is Rela, the people's volunteer corps, which has frequently faced allegations of abusing its power when rounding up illegal immigrants.

"We must revise the powers given to Rela as it is (currently unaccountable to any disciplinary body)," he said.

Fatah offered Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi several suggestions on improving relations with Indonesia:

  1. Pay a formal visit to Indonesia and meet the president to reassure him of remedies to the policy on foreign workers;

  2. Ensure that derogatory terms like 'Indons' and 'Pekerja Haram' (illegal workers) are no longer used in the Malaysian media;

  3. Revoke the additional powers given to Rela and ensure that they are accompanied by police and immigration officerd during operations;

  4. Monitor recruitment agencies more effectively;

  5. Let Indonesian workers hold their passports and ensure that employers do not reduce their salaries without the proper support letter; and

  6. Cooperate in human resource development so that both countries benefit from the process.