Malaysia is home to more than 2 million Indonesian migrant workers, who earn their living particularly by working in construction projects, plantations and also as housemaids.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia and its immediate neighbour, Malaysia, have maintained close relations, as reflected in increased political and economic cooperation between the two countries and regular meetings between their leaders.

However, there have been some thorny issues between the two nations this year.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono visited Kuala Lumpur on December 18 to attend the 9th Annual Bilateral Consultation with Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Najib Abdul Razak, where they reaffirmed their bilateral ties.

At a joint press conference with Najib, President Yudhoyono said there was "plenty of scope to expand bilateral economic cooperation, given the positive economic growth in both countries".

The President noted that the relations between Indonesia and Malaysia had continued to improve over the years.

Both leaders stated that a joint trade investment committee would be formed in an effort to increase bilateral trade to US$30 billion by 2015. This year, the two countries' bilateral trade value reached US$20 billion, up from US$18.3 billion in 2011.

"We are satisfied that our economic cooperation in the form of bilateral trade is on a rising trajectory," Najib said.

During his stay in Kuala Lumpur, Yudhoyono also held a meeting with Malaysian King Sultan Abdul Halim Mu`adzam Shah, and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Philosophy in Leadership of Peace by North Malaysia University.

He also expressed appreciation to the Malaysian government for providing the children of Indonesian migrant workers with access to 22 Community Learning Centres.

Earlier in December, Malaysian King Abdul Halim Mu`adzam Shah and his wife, Agong Haminah, visited Indonesia and held a meeting with President Yudhoyono at Merdeka Palace.

"During this visit, I hope that your majesty and your delegation can help improve the friendly relations, cooperation and partnership between the two countries," Yudhoyono said, after a closed-door meeting with the Malaysian king, who holds the official title of Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said Yudhoyono and the king, who was accompanied by Malaysian Agriculture Minister Noh Hj Omar, discussed issues such as education and culture during the meeting.

The king`s trip to Indonesia from December 3-8 included stops in Jakarta and Bali. It was the king`s first visit to Indonesia since his inauguration as Malaysia`s head of state on December 13, 2011.

The King said the relationship between Malaysia and Indonesia was "well-known and special as we have historical, religious, cultural, racial and linguistic ties".

"I`m proud that the friendship between the two countries is at an excellent level, with close cooperation in various fields at various levels, from national leaders and MPs, to NGOs and civil society," he stated.

The sound bilateral ties between the two ASEAN member nations, however, were negatively affected by a number of incidents, such as the fatal shootings, in which three Indonesian workers were shot dead by Malaysian police officers; two rape cases, in which Indonesian maids were allegedly raped by Malaysian policemen; "Indonesian maids on sale" ads; Malaysia`s claims over Indonesian cultural arts; and a recent editorial, in which a former Malaysian minister hurled insults at former Indonesian president BJ Habibie.

During his recent Malaysian visit, Yudhoyono urged Najib to help ensure that incidents such as the recent criticism of BJ Habibie by a Malaysian official never happen again.

Earlier in December, Malaysia`s former information minister Zainuddin Maidin called Habibie a "traitor to his nation" and "a dog of Imperialism" (for freeing then East Timor) in an editorial of the Utusan Malaysia daily.

Although the insult was aimed at Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, considering the article was titled "Similarities between B.J. Habibie and Anwar Ibrahim", the Indonesian people took offense to it.

According to the President, Najib explained that the editorial written by Zainuddin did not represent the opinions of the Malaysian government and the ruling United Malays National Organization (UMNO) party.

After reading the insulting editorial, Habibie just smiled. The founder of the Association of Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals (ICMI) later wrote on the Habibie Centre's Twitter account: "When someone insults you, take it as a compliment that they spend so much time thinking about you, when you don`t even think about them."

Another incident that offended the Indonesian people was an "Indonesian maids on sale" ad.

Marty slammed the advertising leaflet found by an activist in Kuala Lumpur last October, saying it was "totally unacceptable".

"I want to underline that the Indonesian and Malaysian governments both denounce the advertisement. The Malaysian Foreign Ministry has also made this statement," he said.

Malaysia is home to more than 2 million Indonesian migrant workers, who earn their living particularly by working in construction projects, plantations and also as housemaids.

Many of them earn good salaries and are able to send money back home to their poor relatives. Unfortunately, however, there have also been horror stories in which Indonesian migrant workers are abused and even killed in Malaysia.

On November 9, a 25-year-old Indonesian restaurant waitress from Central Java, identified as SM, claimed that she was gang-raped by three Malaysian Police officers at Perai police office, Bukit Mertajam, Pulau Penang State. Earlier, on November 5, an Indonesian housemaid was allegedly raped by her Malaysian employer and abused by the employer`s wife in Seramban, Negeri Sembilan State.

"Malaysia has become a `danger zone` for Indonesian migrant workers," said Irgan Chairul Mahfiz, deputy chairman of the House of Representatives (DPR) Commission IX on migrant workers affairs, in an email to ANTARA recently, while commenting on the two rape cases.

"There are many migrant workers facing similar ordeals in Malaysia, making the neighbouring country a dangerous region for Indonesian migrant workers," he noted.

Minister Marty condemned the alleged rapes and urged the Malaysian government to take action against the perpetrators.

"In a written statement, the Malaysian foreign minister said his ministry saw these cases as a serious problem and would fully cooperate with the Indonesian government in resolving them," the minister said. The Malaysian police had also promised to conduct a fair investigation.

Back in March, Indonesian people were shocked when they learnt that three Indonesian migrant workers had died after being shot in their heads and chests by five Malaysian policemen.

In the May Day rally in Jakarta, members of the Indonesian Workers Council expressed their condolences over the shooting of the three workers.

"We strongly condemn the inhuman action of the Malaysian police. If necessary, we can mobilize a solidarity movement to occupy the Malaysian embassy," said Iqbal, the president of the Indonesian Labour Union Confederation (KSPI).

The workers deaths have also received serious attention from the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM), which has promised to set up an investigative team to probe into the case.

Not all Malaysian police officers are bad, of course. The Chairman of the National Board for Indonesian Migrant Workers Placement and Protection (BNP2TKI), Moh Jumhur Hidayat, recently lauded the Malaysian Police for their efforts to rescue 105 captive migrant workers from illegal immigration agents in Bandar Baru Klang of Selangor, Malaysia, on December 1.

"During the raid, the officers arrested a group of illegal immigration agents. The group consists of three Malaysians, five Indonesians, four Cambodians and a Filipino," he said.

Jumhur expressed hope that the Malaysian Police, with the cooperation of the country`s immigration officers, would rescue more migrant workers who have fallen victims to illegal immigration agents.

The Indonesian people are also often upset when Malaysia claims some aspects of their culture as its own. Earlier this year, Malaysia reportedly incorporated the Tor-Tor dance and Gordang Sembilan music -- indigenous to the Mandailing community in North Sumatra -- into its National Heritage Law.

The unilateral claim led to Indonesian students staging a protest outside the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta.

Malaysia had made similar claims in the past. They alleged claimed, among other things, the "pendet" dance (originally from Bali) and "Reog Ponorogo" (from East Java) to be part of their culture.

Perhaps, exchanges of visits between the two countries` peoples will help strengthen bilateral ties and improve mutual understanding.

The number of Indonesian visitors to Malaysia totalled 2.134 million last year. Indonesia was the second largest supplier of tourists to Malaysia, after Singapore, which supplied 3 million tourists to Malaysia in 2011.

In the first five months of 2012, the number of Indonesian visitors to Malaysia reached 889,000, up 19.3 percent from the same period last year.

Indonesia is targeting a 5-10 percent increase in the number of Malaysian tourists this year, from 1.03 million in 2011.(*)

Reporter: Fardah
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2012