‘Sever diplomatic ties with Malaysia’

Indonesian lawmakers and human rights activists have condemned the alleged rape of an Indonesia woman by three policemen in Penang.

JAKARTA: In the wake of an alleged rape of an Indonesian migrant worker by members of the Malaysian police, the Indonesian government is being urged to sever diplomatic ties with Malaysia.

Ribka Tjiptaning, chairwoman of House Commission IX overseeing labour affairs, said that the incident — in which an Indonesian migrant worker alleges she was raped by three police officers on Nov 9 — showed that Malaysia did not have respect for Indonesian citizens nor respect for Indonesia as a country.

“Tragic incidents will continue to happen if Indonesia doesn’t pull out all of our Indonesian migrant workers from Malaysia,” the Jakarta Globe quoted Ribka as saying on Thursday.

“The government must show a strong stance by immediately cutting diplomatic ties with Malaysia.”

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician said that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono would be seen as heartless and weak by his own people if he did not cut diplomatic ties.

“Don’t make this country a loser just because the head of state is undecided and didn’t have the nerve to take a stance,” she said.

Ribka added that this was not the first rape case involving Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia, and that the list of crimes included murder, torture, imprisonment and even alleged organ trafficking.

She asserted that Malaysia was at fault for fostering the environment that allowed the alleged rape to occur, but that Yudhoyono and his administration bore the brunt of the blame.

“Yudhoyono failed to protect the people,” she said. “His administration is guilty because the government just wants to enjoy the money generated by the workers but remains indifferent when the workers are tortured, raped and abused.”

The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) has called on the government to ask Malaysia to let Indonesian authorities take part in investigations of violence and criminal cases that involve Indonesian workers in that country.

Bahrain, YLBHI advocacy director, said the president should be firm with Malaysia “to actively allow involvement of the Indonesian government’s representatives in the handling of human rights violation cases on Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia.”

Bahrain said the alleged attack on the woman at a police station in Penang was a despicable act and that any officers found guilty of participating in the rape should be condemned.

He added that Indonesians’ workers rights were stipulated under the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the 1990 international convention on the protection of migrant workers’ human rights and their family members.

Mirroring Ribka, Bahrain also expressed disappointment with Yudhoyono’s administration for failing to protect Indonesian workers in Malaysia, adding that it was not the only violation committed by Malaysian citizens against Indonesians.

-Agencies