TKI Bermasalah Diperas Petugas Penjara Malaysia

20/06/08 00:39
Tanjungpinang (ANTARA News) - Sejumlah Tenaga Kerja Indonesia (TKI) yang diusir dari Malaysia mengaku diperas petugas penjara negara tersebut.

"Sebelum dipulangkan ke Indonesia, kami ditahan di penjara Keluang selama berbulan-bulan," kata Sapon, TKI asal Jawa Tengah, Kamis, setelah sampai di pelabuhan Internasional Tanjungpinang bersama 149 TKI lainnya.

Sapon (30) mengaku diperlakukan tidak wajar oleh petugas penjara.

"Saya diperas. Telepon genggam saya diambil, kemudian uang sebesar 300 ringgit juga diminta petugas," ucapnya.

Hal yang sama juga dirasakan Jumadil (40), Mat ALi (32) dan Adin (31), TKI yang dipulangkan bersama-sama Sapon dari Pasir Gudang Malaysia.

"Petugas juga minta uang kepada saya. Nilainya sebesar Rp2 juta," ujar Mat Ali.

Jumadil mengatakan, uang yang didapatnya dari hasil bekerja di kebun sawit diambil petugas.

"Sisa uang saya waktu di penjara sebesar 200 ringgit Malaysia. Semuanya diambil petugas penjara," katanya.

Adin mengatakan, hampir semua TKI mengalami nasib yang sama selama di penjara.

"Namanya juga penjara, pasti tak enak," katanya.

Mereka mengaku jera menjadi TKI tidak resmi di Malaysia karena tidak memperoleh hasil sebagaimana yang diharapkan.

"Tobatlah jadi TKI tidak resmi. Duit tak dapat, malah penyakit berdatangan," ucap Adin.(*)

Tujuh WNI Ditembak Polisi Malaysia

WASPADA ONLINE -- Jumat, 20 Juni 2008 07:15 WIB

(JOHOR BAHRU) - Polisi Diraja Malaysia kembali menembak mati tiga warga negara Indonesia. Ketiga WNI itu ditembak di kawasan Batu Pahat, Johor Bahru, pada Rabu (18/6) malam, karena diduga telah melakukan perampokan.

Sementara itu, seorang perampok lagi berhasil menyelamatkan diri dan kini sedang menjadi buronan. Ditambah dengan empat WNI yang ditembak dua hari sebelumnya, dalam sepekan ini sudah tujuh WNI tewas ditembak di Malaysia, karena diduga merampok.

Wakil kepala polisi Johor Bahru Tun Hisan Tun Hamzah, Kamis (19/6), menyatakan, sesaat menjelang kejadian polisi sedang melakukan ronda dan melihat empat laki-laki mencurigakan keluar dari perkebunan kelapa sawit ke jalan besar.

Polisi kemudian menghentikan mobilnya karena melihat mereka sedang membawa barang hasil rampokan. Ketika polisi sedang memberitahukan identitasnya sebagai petugas, keempat orang itu justru langsung menyerang dengan parang. Seorang dari mereka sempat memukul kaca kiri mobil polisi dengan parang.

Demi mempertahankan diri, polisi kemudian melakukan tembakan ke arah tersangka dan menembak mati tiga dari empat lelaki itu, satu orang berhasil melarikan diri.

Dari hasil pemeriksaan, polisi menemukan dua laptop dan barang-barang berharga lainnya, enam HP, uang tunai 1.290 ringgit dan uang Rp260.100, dua kulit kerbau hutan, serta tiga bilah parang panjang. "Dua laptop, barang berharga, empat HP dan sejumlah uang tunai yang ditemui ternyata terbukti barang hasil rampokan di rumah penghulu di Kompleks Penghulu, Batu Pahar, Johor," kata Tun Hisan.

Tun Hisan mengungkapkan, dua dari empat korban adalah Herman Ali (40), dan Herasapatis (35), sesuai paspor yang mereka pegang.

Saat ini, jenazah ketiga korban sudah dibawa ke Rumah Sakit Batu Pahat untuk diautopsi serta disidik jarinya. "Kami juga menemui satu paspor dipercayai milik perampok yang dapat melarikan diri," katanya.

Dua hari sebelumnya, polisi Malaysia juga telah menembak mati empat WNI di dekat pintu tol Simpang Pulai, jalan tol Utara-Selatan, setelah ke empat orang itu merampok keluarga China di desa Ampang sekitar 10 Km dari kejadian.(ann)
(j01)

Dicekoki Obat, Dua TKI Derita Gangguan Jiwa

Liputan6.com, Batam 17/06/2008 17:01:

Dua tenaga kerja Indonesia (TKI) yang bekerja di Johor, Malaysia, menderita gangguan jiwa setelah dicekoki obat dan disuntik oleh majikan mereka. "Dia disuntik,...yang itu dicekokin obat, hingga daya pikirnya error," kata Sabari, staf Konsulat Jenderal Republik Indonesia Johor Bahru yang bertugas memulangkan TKI sambil menunjuk dua buruh migran yang termenung di penampungan Batam, Kepulauan Riau, Selasa (17/6).

Rano Karno, 47 tahun, dan Saiman, 35 tahun, dinyatakan sakit jiwa oleh tim medis sebuah rumah sakit di Malaysia. Keduanya kemudian dilaporkan pihak rumah sakit ke konsulat, 10 Januari silam. Sejak itu, pihak konsulat terus merawat kedua TKI hingga kondisinya memungkinkan untuk dipulangkan ke Tanah Air.

Saat tiba di Batam, Selasa, Rano Karno sudah bisa diajak bicara. Sedangkan Saiman terlihat tegang memelototi semua orang di ruangan. "Mungkin masih trauma," kata Sabari. Berdasarkan keterangan pihak konsulat, kedua TKI bekerja pada sebuah perkebunan kelapa sawit.(ANS/ANTARA)

Enny Lestari jadi Ketua Eks-Kom IMA

Founding Assembly dari International Migrant Alliance (IMA) telah menetapkan Enny Lestari sebagai Ketua Eksekutif Komite International Migrant Alliance (IMA)

Selamat untuk kaum migrant di seluruh dunia! Selamat untuk Enny Lestari!

Hidup Solidaritas Internasional!

Indonesian Migrant Workers in Iraq

In April 2007, issues on the Indonesian migrant workers (IMW) in Iraq returns to get focus from mass media. At least 65 IMW trapped in Iraq. Works as housemaid and besieged by flaming of war which has not been ended yet.

As usual, governmental acted lag and tends to claim that they did not know the condition of IMW in Iraq. Position and tendency of this government is really disappointing. Even of course there is no agreement of placement of IMW in Iraq, but opportunity existence of location in illegal in Iraq remains to open.

This is not the first time that public gets information about existence of IMW in Iraq. Its starts from case Istiqomah and Casingkem, then case 72 IMW working in United States military champs, case Elly Anita, and others.

The Government ought to able to do reaction quickly by giving direct help and does assessment about location phenomenon of Indonesia migrant workers in Iraq. It’s not only for legalizing the placement in Iraq, but to close and prevent the illegal sending of Indonesian migrant workers to Iraq. Thereby, cases as befalling 62 IMW which now reside in Iraq can be prevented.

US Aggression to Iraq

Existence of IMW in Iraq in fact not quit of war which since the year 2003 dazes in the country. It is the five years war and until now there’s still no sign to be ended. Armed conflict, suicide bomb, contradiction between factions and groups, and other form of armed conflicts hardly easy to happen in the country. Besides threats in country, the potency of armed conflict also to emerge from Turkey, state abutting on Iraq.

United States who were leading the military aggression to Iraq increasingly difficulty to overcome security and safety threat in the country. The US Puppet regime that leads by Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki tends to fail in order to overcome the violence and conflict which the frequency of it cannot be determined.

Hitherto, besides creating loss equal to more than US$ 500 billions, Iraq war have also swallowed soul victim that is not small. More than 4000 Iraq armies have died as result of the war and millions of Iraqi people die as result of violence in last five years.

Besides debouching the international lampooning, the “war on oil” that launched by US President George W. Bush also emerging the anti-war sentiment inside his country. It’s of course affecting the political stability of the number one imperialist country in the world. This situation increasingly makes worse the leadership which now middle is besieged economic crisis threat and a real finance weight.

Must be comprehended, aggression war led by United States in fact is precondition of mobilizing the Indonesian Migrant Workers to Iraq. As imperialist wars before all, US aggression to Iraq, in essence, were meant to crush the productive forces. In the context of Iraq war, migration of refugees of Iraqi resident to some states in Persian Gulf area and Middle East has caused declines it supply and availability of labor in the state.

On the other side, war has caused the damage for infrastructures, either physical or also social. It must soon be improved to assist the recovery. This situation peeps out the need of labor.

In the eyes of labor supply institution, Iraq war was viewed as the business opportunities. From information collected by www.warprofiteer.org it is known that open sectors for location of foreign labor were wide enough. From related sectors of oil mining, infrastructure and property, social services, until security and safety service sectors and espionage for the sake of business.

Most of the Indonesian migrant workers that recruited and supplied in Iraq were works as housemaid. This because the concentration of Indonesian labor supply companies that operated in Middle East were mostly in domestic sectors. There’s no agreement or arrangement of migrant workers placement between Indonesia and Iraq. Thereby, the IMW whom now were trapped in Iraq, is victim of speculation that done by agencies for big profit upon the Iraqi war.

The Modus

The illegal placement of Indonesian migrant workers in Iraq of course was not easy to prevent. However, it is not something that impossible for our government to prevent this illegal sending of migrant workers. The modus of sending migrant workers to Iraq also can be studied. The first step to do this is by opening the news archive regarding cases of IMW in Iraq that previously covered by mass media.

There’re two cases that we would like to present in this essay; first the case of Casingkem bt Kaspin (22) and Istiqomah bt Misnad (36) in 2004; and second the case of Elly Anita and 18 migrant workers in 2007. Other case that we would like to present is the case of 72 Indonesian migrant workers that employed in US military camp in Iraq in 2007.

• Istiqomah and Casingkem, 2004
Both sent by PT Akbar Insan Prima (AIP), Indonesia labor supply agency (PJTKI) from Condet area, East Jakarta. By the company who sent them, they both were given false identity. Istiqomah is given passport on behalf of Rosidah bt Tohir Ahim whereas Casingkem given passport on behalf of Rafikah bt Nasim. Casingkem was also known as Novitasari bt Sugito, until finally public recognizes her as Casingkem.

The forgery of identity document of Istiqomah and Casingkem was because the PJTKI tend to simplify the problem of identity. It can be considered as a crime, but because it tends to be “habited” in Indonesia, so the law enforcement in prevention the forgery of document was not to be comprehended. Istiqomah was given the passport on behalf Rosidah because they were assumed had a same face. Rosidah itself was an applicant migrant from Sukabumi, West Java, who were never comeback to the reception center of migrant workers after several times been contacted.

Of course, there’re not only name that had been changed, other important data, like address and families also been changed. For example Casingkem, when she was called Rafikah bt Nasim, people assumed her address in Cianjur, West Java. Then, when she was known as Novitasari, people guessed that she came from Malang, East Java. Last, when she was finally identified as Casingkem, her address is in RT 09/04, Bongas Village, Indramayu, West Java Province. So was Istiqomah. She came from Banyuwangi, East Java, but when she was as Rosidah, she was guessed from Sukabumi, West Java.

Information that received by families of both IMW also confusing. Initially, Istiqomah and Casingkem was informed will work in Singapore. They both were sent to Singapore, but only for transit. Then they were flown to Jordan before smuggled to Iraq. This process, of course, will not be informed to the government officials.

Information on this issue was comes up from the media. Al Jazeera TV Station was displaying footages of two IMW that were kidnapped by militant of Iraq. Kidnappers were using this moment to demand the Indonesian government to release Kiayi Haji Abubakar Ba’asyir who was sentence in jail of accusation to involve terrorism.

Why they kidnapped those IMWs? According to Istiqomah and Casingkem, the kidnappers were initially assumed that they both were wives of expatriate from foreign companies that operate in Iraq. But after Istiqomah shows the photograph of her husband, the kidnappers believe and then both frees.

• Elly Anita, September-November 2007
The case of Elly Anita was emerged during the growing military tension between Turkey and Kurd military forces in September 2007. The Turkey government assumed the Kurdistan area that lied in the border of Turkey and Iraq had become the military base of Kurd’s armed guerilla units. During that time, Elly Anita and at least 18 IMWs were works as housemaid in the Kurdistan Area.

As we all known, the Kurd inhabited in Kurdistan area which separate in three different states; Iraq, Iran, and Turkey. After the military aggression to Iraq, US had maintained their relation with the Kurd rebellion groups to overthrow the regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq. Political instability during the unfinished war in Iraq created opportunities to the Kurd military groups to develop their unit and resistances.

Considering the political situation in Iraq and its effect to the Kurd, the Turkey government tried to anticipate the arising of Kurd resistance by launching military operation in Kurdistan where also the borderline of Turkey and Iraq. The political position of Turkey was also caused by the US war policy in Iraq that in the eyes of Turkey, was giving opportunities for the Kurd to develop their political resistance for independence. The Turkey military operation in the borderline was initially to maintain their territorial stability and prevent the growing of Kurd resistance.

In the mid of that situation, Elly Anita, who was working as housemaid in that area, was eager to get out from that area to elude the war. According to Elly Anita, there’re also 18 IMW that also trapped in the area. Elly tried to make a phone call to Indonesian embassy in Dubai. She was blamed by the embassy because of it. Then someone from IOM finally reaches her and recommends her to get contact with Migrant-CARE.

Elly Anita had been released from Iraq. But there’re still 62 IMW still trapped in Iraq.

The Government Responsibility
As the case of Istiqomah and Casingkem, the governmental impressed almost no concern on it. Beside lag in process and ascertains information, governmental also looks confuse to get the effective method to release the IMW from Iraq area.

At the same time also reported on that about 72 IMWs are working in US military camp in Baghdad. Information about existence of ke-72 IMW came from Steven Lathu, one of the IMW which was returned Iraq. According to Lathu, IMW sent to Iraq initially amounts to 86, 14 among others has returned to Iraq. The IMW sent by PT North Java Sea Group, based in Cilandak Dalam, Jakarta Selatan.

Anis Hidayah, Director Migrant Care tells, “in September 2007, the IMWs residing in Iraq, reached almost 70, but only 29 women that had been identified. Five among them have been returned to Indonesia; Eli Anita, Darniati and Castini which is returned in 7 November 2007 and Siti Suleha and Aan Fathona is returned to Indonesia 6 December 2007. The rest now still around 65” (Harian Terbit, 1 April 2008).

We can be interpreted that government simply do not make any, especially since December 2007 hitherto, to return migrant workers Indonesia that is now is snared in Iraq. As for previous action given by government only form of response remembers the cases gets attention from mass media.

Thereby, if Istiqomah and Casingkem didn’t kidnapped by militant and TV Al Jazeera doesn't display their picture, or if Elly Anita didn’t have the idea to give information on her existence in Iraq, or if Steven Lathu the IMW which worked in US military camp in Iraq didn’t told to public that there’re 72 IMW in Iraq, of course government will never know about existence of IMW in Iraq.

This situation in fact disappoints Indonesia public. Governmental actually can do many actions to prevent this situation. From they are sure much important information of which able to be dug to reconstruct problems braid, modus, actors is involving, and because it is not impossible actual amount more than 65, serious effort to collect information from the IMW can enable government of verification number of in fact IMW snared in Iraq.

Institute for National and Democratic Studies
Jakarta, 7 April 2008

Gaji TKI di Luar Negeri Tak Pernah Naik

Yogyakarta, (Analisa)--Gaji tenaga kerja Indonesia (TKI) di luar negeri dalam dua puluh tahun terakhir tidak pernah naik, bahkan tidak pernah ada upaya untuk menaikkan gaji tersebut.

"Karena itu, sejak Badan Nasional Penempatan dan Perlindungan TKI (BNP2TKI) terbentuk setahun lalu, upaya menaikkan gaji TKI mulai dilakukan, dan mendapat tanggapan positif dari negara pengguna jasa TKI," kata Ketua BNP2TKI, Muhammad Jumhur Hidayat di Purwokerto, Banyumas, Jawa Tengah, Minggu.

Dalam dialog dengan calon TKI, keluarga TKI, TKI purna (mantan TKI) dan pengurus PJTKI sekabupaten Banyumas, ia menyatakan prihatin dengan kondisi tersebut karena bertahun-tahun TKI tidak menikmati kenaikan gaji.

Misalnya selama ini gaji TKI di Arab Saudi dan negara-negara di Timur Tengah lainnya hanya digaji 600 real per bulan, sedangkan di Singapura sekitar 300 dolar Singapura.

"Tetapi setelah dilakukan pendekatan dengan negara-negara pengguna jasa TKI, mereka menanggapi positif dan bersedia menaikkan gaji para TKI," katanya.

Sekarang, kata dia, TKI di Singapura sudah menerima gaji 350 dolar Singapura per bulan, sedangkan di Arab Saudi naik menjadi 800 real per bulan.

"Meskipun ada kenaikan gaji, tetapi tidak menyurutkan negara-negara tersebut untuk tetap menggunakan jasa TKI. Ini terlihat pada penempatan TKI di berbagai negara pada 2006 sebanyak 27.000 orang, meningkat menjadi 34.000 orang hingga Juli 2007.

Hal ini membuktikan bahwa negara-negara tersebut tidak mengurangi penerimaan TKI, tetapi justru meningkatkan jumlahnya.

Ia mengatakan saat ini ada sekitar enam juta TKI yang bekerja di berbagai negara, meliputi 4,3 juta TKI bekerja di sektor formal dan 1,7 juta TKI bekerja di sektor nonformal.

"Sedangkan masalah yang dihadapi dalam penempatan TKI adalah kasus percaloan yang sampai saat ini memang belum bisa diberantas," katanya. (Ant)

Family and Society of the Migrant Workers

The preliminary study of the family of migrant workers in Indonesia

Contribution Paper for
International Migrant Alliance (IMA) in Hong Kong,
June 15-16, 2008

According to the official data, there’re at least 3.5 million citizens of Indonesia become migrant workers. This numbers were not included millions of undocumented migrant workers that spread in many countries. The number of Indonesian migrant workers will always be increased from year to year as result of deteriorating of the economic crisis and increasing the state dependency of the remittance of the migrant workers.

Most of the Indonesian migrant workers are working in Mid-East, Southeast Asia (Singapore, Brunei, and Malaysia), and East Asia. Women are composed the majority with the favorite sector are domestic as housemaid or other manual job. They’re not only works in the dirty, dangerous, and difficult situation, but also frequently experiencing the xenophobia and violence in political or criminal.

In December 2007, Indonesian migrant workers contribute US$ 4.85 billions (Rp 44 trillion) remittance to the state. This contribution places the remittance as the second largest contribution—after oil and gas—to the government. Hence, the Indonesian mass media frequently accredited the Indonesian migrant workers as the “hero”. But, this accreditation was not equal with all impact to the living of migrant workers and their families. On the contrary, problems that emerged as result of migration exactly becoming bigger and bigger.

Women’s Question

Migration is not a new phenomenon. Hence, it’s a natural respond of the society to seek better living outside of their community. It’s also what happened in the phenomenon of the labor migration in Indonesia. But as other development in society, the today labor migration phenomenon, of course covers the present contradiction in society.

In Indonesia, the issue of labor migration is mostly focus on the phenomenon of labor migration after 1970s. There’re some differences between phenomena of labor migration before and after 1970s. Some of the differences are: before 1970s; most of the migrant workers are male, skilled labor or high education, without any regulation or agencies. After 1970s; most of the migrant workers are female, unskilled labor, with many regulation and multilevel agencies.

Indonesian Migrant workers are women issue. It’s not only because number of female migrant workers are large bigger than male, but also the structure of the labor export phenomenon of Indonesia were very feudal-patriarchal. As you can see, most of the Indonesian migrant workers work as domestic workers or as “housemaid”.

This is not a ‘strange’ sector for Indonesian women. Traditionally and culturally women are directed by family and society to be the ‘domestic workers’. People in Indonesia usually said that women’s role are only in domestic area. Women only allowed presenting in dapur (in kitchen), sumur (in backyard), and kasur (on bed). Most of Indonesian women, particularly those whom live in countryside still be bridled by patriarchal structure of control.

They were control economically, politically, culturally, even sexually. They are not being paid for their labor because working in the house as well as other reproduction activities is considered as the obligation of women. Their political and economical right are often not been acknowledged, their cultural aspiration were still discriminated and their sexual right are also been denied.

For some women, working abroad as migrant workers could be assumed as the resistance of the restriction and fundamentalism in families. For those, working abroad becomes the way to liberate themselves from economic restriction, cultural discrimination, and other ‘unwanted’ traditional obligation. They hope for freedom economically, politically, culturally, and sexually.

But, for the rest of women migrant workers, working abroad were becomes one kind of the form of loyalty to their family and society. Working abroad was becomes the women’s responds to defend the living of their families during the worsening crisis in society. It’s doesn’t matter whether it’s abroad or still in the country, because the most important is they have to find job or working to generate income for their family.

Reason to Migrate

Issue of economy becomes the favorite caused the migration. As also found in other sending countries, economic crisis forced million people to seek better living by migration. It’s also be the biggest factor that we can easily found in Indonesia today. As a neocolonial society, economic crisis in Indonesia was never found the way out. Imperialist domination and the oppression of big-feudal landlords as the ruling class in Indonesia are only worsening the crisis in Indonesian society.

Particularly after the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997, numbers of the neoliberal policies had been signed. Agriculture hardly destructed by the trade-liberalization, vulnerability of the light manufacture industries had been increased. Almost a half of Indonesian populations live with the income under US$2 per day. More than 40 million people are reported as unemployment. As the agrarian country, at least 56,52 of 70 million Indonesian peasant, ironically, were landless peasants.

The biggest effect of the crisis hit the rural communities where most of the migrant workers were originally came from. Indonesian economic crisis had aggressively pushed the land consolidation and displaced million of poor peasant and farm workers from their land. On behalf of the name of attracting foreign investment, eviction and land grabbing are increase in every year. Land and other agrarian productive resources had been consolidated to serve the passion of imperialist capital accumulation.

Most of the migrant workers came from the most vulnerable element in the rural community. They were come from the poor peasant or farm workers families that their economical and political access remains restricted, culturally backward, and legally blinded. Their lackness access to the productive resources in countryside is the main factors that force them to be migrated.

They cannot compete with others society member which has a better education level or having enough information access to the job opportunities. In the same time, state are failed to guarantee their right to have decent wage and job. That’s why, working abroad as migrant worker are became the first choice to choose.

Labor migration process were easily understand by following the first aspect of the imperialism; “concentration of production and monopoly”. In the context of Indonesia, where the society are still under imperialist domination and the structure of the remnant feudalism still exist and control the power of communities, the use of labor were still relatively still be controlled by the landlord. This are always can be seen in the phenomenon of labor migration in Indonesia; where the Landlord class (and bureaucrat-capitalist) had a crucial part in the sending process of migrant workers.

We can say that the sending process of migrant workers—in Indonesia—is a symptom or the development of the historical role of feudal-landlord in the present situation. Since the Dutch colonial periods, one of devotion form of feudal-landlords was mobilizing labor to fill the colonial needs.

In the today phenomenon, sending the migrant workers are have a same meaning with fulfilling the imperialist need of the cheap labor. For example, we can’t deny that the migrant workers had a crucial role in the development of Malaysian industry. It also happened to other imperialist forces that operate in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, and other countries (including Iraq). Big demand of labor had created opportunities the migrant workers.

Especially in Indonesia, migrant workers cannot be assumed as the free labor as we consider workers of the modern industry. Migrant workers are definitely close with the term of “bondage labor”. They didn’t have right to the decent wage because there exist salary deduction, they didn’t have a right to the collective bargaining, they also didn’t have right to form their own union. They were tied in debt agreement with their agencies and obliged to pays debt that some of it were perpetuated.

So, it is understandable why the benefit of migration were never flows to the migrant workers or their families.

Impacts and Responds

The recent phenomenon of the Indonesian labor migration were caused by economic crisis and delivered worsening crisis. Labor migration is the economic solution only for the state and ruling classes in society but not the solution of the people, particularly the poor and marginalized people. That’s why, labor migration oftenly only created miseries for people.

Economic crisis in the neocolonial society had breaking down the families and communities. Poor and marginalized people are been displaced, evicted, victimized, and their labor had been sold. This is the biggest impact and also the strongest caused to defend and fight for the right of migrant workers and their families. But, it’s quite difficult to arise, organize, and mobilize the emancipation and political movement of the migrant workers and their families without combining it with the concrete and primary contradiction in the society.

In our experience, organizing families of migrant workers without connecting it with other sectoral issues, like organizing the remittance, were usually done ended not in the political action. It’s always ended as a spontaneous action to respond a particular case with only a little political impacts. That’s why, until now, we’re not yet succeeded to push regime to sign and ratify the 1990 UN convention on protection the right of migrant workers and their families.

In order to arise, organize, and mobilize people to respond the issue of migrant workers, we need to cooperate with peasants and workers and other democratic elements of the society. Most of the families of the migrant workers are poor peasants and farm workers, that’s why the issue of genuine agrarian reform becomes the most important issue.

Most of the migrant workers are come from the productive element of the society. They’re youth and highly need decent job and employment. That’s why education and job become the attractive issue not to reduce the migrant workers or restrict the right to travel, but to create the opportunity to have job without having to go abroad and leaving their families. The most potential element of society in the country that can be organized to campaign the right of the migrant workers are returnees. They’re politically legitimate to speak on the need of the acknowledgement and protection the right of migrant workers and their families.

Therefore, Sekretariat Bersama Buruh Migrant Indonesia(Sekber BMI) as the new formation in Indonesia to campaign and defend the right of the migrant workers, returnees, and their families initiating the process of campaigning the acknowledgment and protection the right of migrant workers, returnees, and their families by organizing returnees and with the assistance of the peasants organization, campaigning the right of the migrant workers by combining it with other sectoral or communal issues, like agrarian reform.

SEKRETARIAT BERSAMA BURUH MIGRAN INDONESIA
Jalan Mampang Prapatan XIII RT 03/03 No 03 Tegalparang
Mampang Prapatan, Jakarta Selatan
e-mail: sekber_bmi@yahoo.co.id,
blog: http://sekber-bmi.blogspot.com/

“GFMD must hear migrants from the ground”

Migrants alliance prepares to challenge migration and dev’t frame of global confab in Manila

“Grassroots migrants are critical of the GFMD and its approach to development and migration process. In the coming Manila GFMD, the position of migrants from the ground must be heard.”


This was declared by Eni Lestari, spokesperson of the Asian Migrants Coordinating Body (AMCB) in Hong Kong and co-convenor of the International Migrants Alliance or IMA with regards to the coming second Global Forum on Migration and Development that will be held in Manila in October this year.

The IMA is set to be established in Hong Kong on June 15 and 16 this year.

“As far as the GFMD is going right now, we believe that it is working on a framework of development that will not resolve the forced migration of hundreds of millions of people. Instead, we fear that it shall even perpetuate forced migration and the commodification of migrants,” she added.

IMA co-convenor Connie Bragas-Regalado of the Migrante International in the Philippines, meanwhile, stressed that they are very much concerned with the GFMD’s perspective of the migration process.

“While it vows to avoid putting migration as an alternative to development, the fact that it primarily deals with management of the migration process as well as how remittances can be efficiently collected and maximized belie its real intention,” she remarked.

Regalado said that GFMD’s non-inclusion of the causes of forced migration in its agenda such as the implementation of globalization policies in the national level as well as the intensifying US-led global war on terror make it “highly-doubtful” for grassroots migrants to rely on it to resolve the concerns of migrants and end forced migration.

“It was the same in the first GFMD. Now that is going to be conducted in the Philippines, we are more afraid that our basic issues will be sidelined as the apparent objective of participating sending and receving states is on how gains from migration can be maximized,” she said.

Teresa Gutierrez of the May 1st Coalition in the United States and also a co-convenor of the IMA said that the coming IMA founding assembly next week shall have the GFMD as one of the main topics for discussion.

“We aim to muster the strength of the grassroots migrants in different countries to pressure states into instituting more concrete efforts to address our condition. We don’t want another declaration devoid of real action,” she said.

Gutierrez revealed that the IMA actions shall both be in the international and national levels. She said that plans will be drafted also to “challenge the second GFMD right at its doorstep in Manila.”

In relation to this, Gutierrez urged the organizers of the civil society day that shall precede the GFMD to ensure support for the migrants in the grassroots.

“Civil society day has been managed and directed mainly by non-government organizations or NGOs. While we respect the efforts of NGOs to support causes of migrants, still the best representatives for migrants are the migrants themselves,” she added.

Lestari declared that the GFMD is just one of the international events that the IMA will face.

“The international arena must open its doors to the grassroots. Our organized ranks in the national and international levels shall make sure that it does,” Lestari concluded.

Deportasi TKI dari Serawak Terus Meningkat

Reporter : Aries Munandar

PONTIANAK--MI: Jumlah tenaga kerja Indonesia (TKI) yang dideportasi dari Serawak, Malaysia, tiga tahun terakhir terus meningkat.

Data yang diperoleh Komisi Nasional Hak Azasi Manusia (Komnas HAM) Perwakilan Kalimantan Barat (Kalbar) dari imigrasi Malaysia di Serawak menyebutkan, pada 2007 tercatat sebanyak 2.493 TKI yang dideportasi melalui Pos Pemeriksaan Lintas Batas (PPLB) Entikong di Kabupaten Sanggau, Kalbar.

Jumlah tersebut meningkat lebih dari 36 jika dibandingkan dengan deportasi yang terjadi pada 2006 sebanyak 1.824 orang dan 2005 sebanyak 979 orang.

Anggota Komnas HAM Kalbar Padmi J Candramidi mengatakan para TKI yang dideportasi itu ilegal karena sama sekali tidak memiliki dokumen keimigrasian atau mengantongi dokumen dengan identitas palsu.

"Kalau legal, mereka pasti tercatat secara resmi di KJRI (Konsulat Jenderal Republik Indonesia) di Kuching, Serawak. Kenyataannya mereka tidak pernah tercatat sebagai TKI di KJRI," katanya di Pontianak, Kamis (5/6).

Sementara itu, hasil evaluasi tim pengkajian buruh migran Indonesia di Serawak dan Brunei Darussalam yang dibentuk Komnas HAM Kalbar menyimpulkan persoalan buruh migran merupakan potret buruk kondisi tenaga kerja Indonesia di luar negeri dan berlangsung secara sistematis. Berbagai bentuk kekerasan dan eksploitasi yang berujung pada terjadinya pelanggaran HAM sudah kerap terjadi.

Menurut Padmi, KJRI di Kuching mencatat pada 2007 terjadi 284 kasus kekerasan dan eksploitasi terhadap TKI di Serawak. Jumlah ini meningkat sebanyak tujuh kasus jika dibandingkan dengan 2006 sebanyak 277 kasus. Tindak kekerasan dan eksploitasi tersebut, antara lain gaji yang tidak dibayar, ditipu agen penyalur tenaga kerja, dianiaya, dan dipaksa melacurkan diri.

"Akumulasi dari berbagai pelanggaran dan

kasus yang menimpa para TKI itu sebagian besar atau sekitar 85 berakar dari permasalahan domestik (dalam negeri). Misalnya, pemalsuan identitas, kualifikasi keterampilan dan pendidikan tenaga kerja yang rendah serta adanya pungutan liar," tambah Ketua Komnas HAM Kalbar Achmad Husainie.

Ia mengatakan, jumha TKI legal maupun ilegal di Serawak saat ini diperkirakan mencapai 400 ribu orang atau 95 dari jumlah pekerja asing di wilayah itu. Sedangkan di Brunei Darussalam sebanyak 35 ribu orang, atau 10 dari jumlah penduduk negara tersebut. Sebagian besar TKI di Brunei bekerja di sektor formal.

"Meskipun angkanya relatif kecil, kekerasan dan eksploitasi terhadap buruh migran Indonesia juga terjadi di Brunei. Saat ini tercatat sebanyak 33 orang yang menjadi korban. Mereka antara lain dianiaya, diperkosa dan dipaksa melacur," jelas Husainie. (AR/OL-01)

Kamis, 05 Juni 2008 16:33 WIB

Lagi TKI asal Bojonegoro Meniggal di Arab

BOJONEGORO-Tenaga Kerja Wanita Bojonegoro yang meniggal di peranatauan bertambah. Kemarin panirah, 43 warga Dusun Gempol Desa Growok kecamatan dander dipastikan meninggal dunia di Saudi Arabia pada 22 April lalu.

Hanya kematian TKW yang kelahiran desa Kumpulrejo Kapas itu baru diketahui pihak keluarga pada 30 mei lalu. Namun baru kemarin kepastian kematian korban diperoleh dari agen PJTKI Jakarta yang memberangkatknya ke Arab sekitar sembilan bulan lalu.

"Kakak saya sudah meninggal dan kami langusng minta dimakamkan disana,'' kata Fatimah,40 adik kandung korban yang kemarin baru datang dari Jakarta memastikan kabar meninggalnya sang adik. Pada tanggal 30 Mei lalu dia mendapatkan kabar dari calo yang memberangkatkanya yaitu Tony warga Ngumpakdalem Kecamatan Dander Bojonegoro. Karena tidak percaya diapun kemudian berangkat sendiri guna menanayakan kabar kematian adiknya ke PJTKI yang meberangkatkannya.

Kebarangkatannya Fatimah ke jakarta bersama dengan Tony calo yang memberangkatkannya serta sekdes Kumpulrejo Kecamatan Kapas M Irkammendatangia PTK Boksa sebagai agen yang memberangkatknnya. Dari situ lanjut Fatimah dia mendapatkan poenjelasan adiknya menunggal karena serangan jantung. ''Dan saat menerima kabar 30 Mei lalu kami sepakat dan ikhlas memakamkan dia di Saudia Arabia langsung," katanya.

Menurut keterangan Fatimah adiknya berangkat sekitar 14 september lalu. Saat itu karena terdesak ekonmi keluarga dan ingin masa depan anaknya lebih baik dia nekat berangkat menjadi TKI.

Bahkan usahanya berangkat sebagai TKI merupakan yang ketiga kalinya. "sebelumnya pernah sembilan bulan dia di Araba namun pulang karena kepetningan keluarga setelah itu sebulan di tempat dipenampungan namun diminta pulang sang suami karena tak tega," tegasnya

Saat ini lanjut dia pihaknya menunggu pencairan uang asuransi dari PJTKI yang memberangkatknnya. Dia menyatakan asuransi yang bakal diterima sekitar Rp 45 juta. "Dan dijanjikan cair paling cepat seminggau paling lama dua minggu," ungkapnya

Sementara itu Kasi penempatan Dinas Tenaga Kerja dan Transmigrasi Bojonegoro Djoko saat dihubungi wartyawan koran ini mengaku belum tahu kabar tersebut. Dia menyatakan baru tahu kabar dari berita running tekx televisi. "Tapi kami masih mencarinya nanti saya kabarai kalau sudah dapat," tegasnya.

Sementara itu Kades Kumpulrejo Kecamatan Kapas Hermawan Prasetyo saat ditemui Radar Bojonegoro menjelaskan bahwa dia belum mendapatkan laporan dari sekdesnya. Sebab selama ini yang dia tahu koran bertempat tinggal di Dander. "Yang berangkat pak Carik (sekdes red) diminta mewakili keluarga tapi secara pribadi," tegasnya. (ade)

"We stand ready to lend support to the migrants we serve"

NGOs worldwide back the formation of int'l migrants group

"As advocates, fervent promoters of the empowerment of migrants around the world, it is imperative for non-government organizations to back the International Migrants Alliance. We stand ready to lend support to the migrants we serve."

This was declared today by Dr. Irene Fernandez, known migrants rights activist and director of TENAGANITA (Women's Force) in Malaysia, as the founding assembly of the International Migrants Alliance draws near.

"While the efforts of NGOs to drumbeat the issues of migrants and raise awareness to their plight are commendable, it is even more important for us to back them now that grassroots migrants themselves are claiming their voices," she added.

Fernandez' office works with migrant workers in Malaysia especially women and undocumented ones. For her work with migrants, Dr. Fernandez has been awarded the Right Livelihood Award known as the alternative Nobel.

The IMA, dubbed to be the first global formation of grassroots migrants and immigrants, will have its founding assembly on June 15 and 16 in Hong Kong. Its opening program on June 15 will be held at the City University of Hong Kong and shall be co-hosted by the Women's Empowerment in Muslim Contexts (WEMC), a research consortium composed of academics supportive of empowerment of grassroots migrants.

"We dream of the time when migrants of the world are united and empowered to defend their rights and wellbeing. It starts with the IMA," said Ramon Bultron, managing director of the HK-based Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants (APMM) who works with migrants in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions.

Bultron relayed that, especially in the international arena, NGOs have hogged events that tackled concerns of migrants. He said that the formation of the IMA has shown that migrants are now gearing to mark a significant presence in venues where their own representatives should be heard.

"Thus we encourage NGOs around the world to support this initiative. We owe this to the people we have made it our mission to serve," he remarked.

Bultron said that in the coming meeting of the Global Forum on Migration and Development in Manila in October, grassroots migrants must take the centerstage. He urged NGOs in the civil society meeting to ensure that migrants will not serve as mere tokens as their lives and future are discussed.

Meanwhile, for Dr. Robyn Rodriquez, assistant professor at the Sociology faculty at Rutgers University in the USA and author of various articles on US immigration, NGOs must take the IMA formation as a complementary development to the thrusts of NGOs to serve migrants.

"This will be a great opportunity to further advance the causes of migrants. The mass character and concrete experiences of the grassroots migrants coupled with the capacity of NGOs can be combined for more effective advocacy work," she intoned.

Several NGOs including regional ones such as the Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development and CARAM Asia, as well as country-based ones in Canada, Japan, and Australia will also join the IMA assembly.

"The IMA trailblazes a new future for migrants' empowerment. We are behind them all the way," Rodriguez concluded. #