ABSTRACT
This chapter will explore recent tensions in the Indonesia-Malaysia bilateral relationship and the issue of migrant workers, particularly Indonesian migrant labour in Malaysia. The first part of this chapter examines the contours of regional integration in Southeast Asia. The second part examines why, in the receiving country of Malaysia, Indonesian migrant workers are regarded as a national security threat. The third part will extend this discussion by examining the way in which the issue of Indonesian labour migration can be more accurately categorised as a human security issue, rather than, in the case of Malaysia, a national security issue. The difference in categorisation arises because Indonesia appears more determined than Malaysia to seek a regional solution to the migrant labour issue. The differing emphasis, it will be argued, is to some extent a reflection of Indonesia’s successful transition to democracy. The final section of the chapter will address the argument that the transformation in Indonesia’s regional behavioural norms has not necessarily triggered a deepening of regional integration with better social outcomes for migrant workers.
