Sumiati binti Salan Mustapa
Nov 18th, 2010, in Featured, News, by Patung
The press release put out by the Department of Foreign Affairs regarding the torture of 23 year old Indonesian domestic worker Sumiati binti Salan Mustapa by her employer’s wife, Khalid Saleh Mohammad Al Hamimi, and children in Saudi Arabia; Sumiati was repeatedly abused, having her lips cut with scissors, among much else, and is currently in hospital; her abuser is said to be undergoing “processing” by the Saudi police: deplu
1. On November 8, 2010, the Indonesian Consulate General in Jeddah has received reports that a citizen, named Sumiati binti Mustapa Salan, age 23 years, from Dompu, West Nusa Tenggara, was taken to King Fahd Hospital in Medina, Saudi Arabia. She was badly abused by her employer and his wife, suffering serious physical injuries and in very poor condition.
2. The Government of Indonesia strongly condemns the inhumane actions against Sumiati and will ensure that responsible parties be subject to applicable law.
3. Ministry of Foreign Affairs has taken steps in order to protect citizens and especially the handling of this case are as follows:
a. Immediately after obtaining information of this case, on November 9, 2010, the Consulate General in Jeddah visited Ms. Sumiati at King Fahd Hospital to provide assistance and ensure that she obtained necessary medical care. In addition, the consulate asked for a doctor to specifically monitor the condition in question.
b. the Secretary of State has spoken directly with victims’ families to provide information on measures undertaken by the GoI relating to the incident and its handling. In particular, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will facilitate the representative of the family, accompanied by Foreign Ministry officials, to Medina to provide support to Ms. Sumiati.
c. legal steps have also been carried out by the Consulate in Jeddah in reporting the case to the police in Medina in order to ensure there is legal action against the perpetrators. In addition, the Consulate has prepared lawyers for the subsequent legal process.
d. diplomatic steps taken by the foreign ministry summoned the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia in Jakarta to the Foreign Ministry to convey the attitude of the Indonesian government, which condemned the ill-treatment of Ms. Sumiati. It stressed also that the Government of Saudi Arabia will need to ensure that victims receive all necessary medical services and especially for those responsible to be brought to justice.
4. Government of Indonesia in this regard the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to ensure effective measures for the protection of citizens abroad.
69 Comments on “Sumiati binti Salan Mustapa”
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timdog says:
Whereever there’s a general pattern of abuse against subordinates there is a civilization and paradigm problem
So there IS one of these in Singapore and Malaysia, right?
(And I sure as sh*t ain’t apologising for anyone, btw. That would be pretty obvious if you read my first post properly.)
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Now at least we can see a demonstration in front of Saudi embassy in Jakarta:
http://www.tempointeraktif.com/hg/kesra/2010/11/19/brk,20101119-292984,id.html
Nice progress on our side.
See one of the mssage, Saudi Arabia Biadab (Saudi Arabia … Barbaric?). I hope there are bolder and harsher statements there in the demo. But it’s good anyway that general indonesians start to grab the notion that those saudi arabians are sick, animals.
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rustyprince says:
Hello Diego Dude,
I too have many concerns about Saudi Arabia, in particular the export of their mysoginy – spelling – and other medievalism. But comeon your comments are way OTT and falling into that ‘differences can never coexist’ paradigm.
If you disagree with me than I’d like you to respond to the treatment of women in Mexico. I’ve been reading Roberto’s Bolano 2666 and I don’t think I’ve been as nauseated – maybe not since Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee – by the gruesome details of 100’s of girls/women as young as eleven kidnapped,raped,brutalized and eventually murdered by their male neighbors in the border industrial zones with the US. And well Diego, this book is making me wonder what the f*ck is wrong with this twisted sick Latino sociiety?
So why they hate their sisters and think all young women are whores? Seriously anyone struggling to retain a semblance of hope in current epoch of uncertainty…stay well away from this masterful indictment of greed, selfishness and the morrass it conjures.Ross if your reading care to repeat your RRA diabtribe against the brave commie doctor leading the rage against Saudi. Already I’m sure phone calls have originated from Jeddah/Ryhad for the FPI to whack her, but no loss, ehh? she only a crazy commie scum?
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Hola Rustyprince,
I’m not in the position to respond to your comment regarding Roberto Bolano. Ethnically I’m an indonesian, not latino. Thank you. 🙂
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Diego Dude!
I aimed that comment at you because I thought you had a real affection for Mexico, but heck if I’m mistaken than forget about it.
Ps
I was generalizing about that vast nation karna tentu tidak semua om mexico busuk dan pengecut. -
Let’s not get off the track here, our enemy is saudi arabia(ns). Let’s focus on keeping their bestiality under spotlight. This might destroy them, sooner or later, and (as michael jackson had always wished), this planet will be a better place.
How is iran’s & israel’s nuclear missiles development program going? I hope they’ll make it soon, long time haven’t seen great firework show after beijing olympic.
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realest says:
This doesn’t hold true for all Indonesians but, being an Indonesian myself, a lot of people I know have a tendency for 1) being late, 2) shirking responsibilities and 3) shifting blames.
Coupling trait 3) with petty thieving can incur a lot of wrath among any employer. It’s not the loss of a small cake, a bottle of soda or one of the broken display we mind so much. We just want you to own up and, if necessary, accept due penalty whether it’s a warning or pay deduction so everyone can move on with their daily lives.diego Says:
November 18th, 2010 at 11:13 pmRealest, you forgot to mention: in this Sumiati case, the guilty one (mainly) is a WOMAN (the wife of that Khalid lalala whatever guy). See…, no matter what the sex is, it’s the race that matters (they’re saudis).
1. Rape victim
2. Willing ‘rape’ victim
Being a rape victim, willing or not, usually irritates “the wife(or the mother)”. -
ET says:
Being a rape victim, willing or not, usually irritates “the wife(or the mother)”.
Then let’s replace the maids with sturdy Kuta Cowboys. Problem solved.
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Hans says:
Let’s not get off the track here, our enemy is saudi arabia(ns). Let’s focus on keeping their bestiality under spotlight. This might destroy them, sooner or later, and (as michael jackson had always wished), this planet will be a better place.
I agree with you Diego. We shall not place focus on who the enemy is. we have to ask and encourage the relatively free and good news media in Indonesia and the rest of the world, where censorship is nonexistent, not to ignore Saudi Arabia and their reign of terror.
Difficult to understand this rich country, has not managed to build a dream country, with everything from human values and respect for their environment. the underlying thought patterns must be wrong from the start. The idea is like if it comes from a ten year old boy, with a view through a small hole in a tank to enrich the world with its religion, a religion that did not enrich, but rather wants to take us 800 years back in time to before the Birger Jarl, when all peoples were slaves under the Crown.
I know that some organizing work abroad, also tries to keep a contact with the workers they send abroad, but it is probably not in the culture that someone says negative things about their employers. Rather they pays many for geting a work once more. this is a bit like seeing the world as a communist, they do not see the world as it is now, but see only a vague dream of a better future. The important thing is that no Arab has any right in the world to crush those dreams for anyone.
If the industry fails to adapt to the new technology may be the only therself to blame if it gets raped by their consumers.
Jesus replied: “Even a short while is the light among you. Walk while u have the light, so darkness does not overcome you. Those who walk in darkness do not know where they goes. Rejoice therefore, O heavens and you who live in them. But woe to the earth and sea: the devil has come down to you, and his rage is great, for he knows that his time is short.
Merry Christmas to all, wherever you are
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This attitude of shutting up for fear of retaliation against other possible victims is the surest way to maintain impunity for those arrogant SOB’s.
I’d say let the world know what’s going on in places like that and launch a campaign to isolate them. We finally have the tools like internet with all its graphic possibilities, so let’s use it. And for those who don’t have internet access there are other media like TV which now reaches even the most remote areas. Silence only feeds ignorance and ignorance is a killer.Instead of trashing Arabs, I was merely asking people to redirect their energy usage towards warning all Sumiatis not to work in Saudi Arabia for the apparent risks. This I do not consider as ‘shutting up’ nor does it show fear, but rather a more practical measure to prevent more abuse. Afterall, which one is more practical to be done; telling your closest Sumiati not to work in Saudi Arabia and let the message spread, or insulting Arabs for their abuse with the hope they would stop the abuse? Again, if I was mentally ill enough to abuse my maids, I would not respond well at all to the second.
In a dream world where no Sumiati is willing to work in Saudi Arabia anymore for the risks, they’re (ie. Arabs) the ones who will need to adjust their attitude if they still want other people to clean their toilets. Prospective employers will then get screened and checked before being eligible for having a maid. Hmm… How nice…
A campaign to isolate a country? Ah, I’m sure every country has a reason to be isolated if violence is the only deciding factor. Take Australia for example, with the many recent attacks against Indians (allegedly the attacks were done solely because they were Indians), should we isolate Australia as well? Then, every country will live in isolation, possibly destroying the world’s economy amongst other issues.
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Aprianti says:
Ketua Apjati said on television that the reason Indonesia keeps sending TKWs to Arab Saudi is because of a very high demand and supply. Silly excuse. Of course the demand is high, not because of the quality of the workers, but because the price is damn cheap, let alone without protection, even MoU with their government. Slaves for everyone!
If they can’t help seeing TKW as commodity, the treatment of which is based merely on supply-demand mechanism, at least they can give them proper skills, or give some added value for this “commodity” instead of exporting raw material. And stop the “pahlawan devisa” crap, unless they can really treat these TKWs as pahlawan, not slaves.
So, while some people organize the cursing and yelling at Arab Saudi, why don’t some others do their job to fix this more crucial problem.
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Ketua Apjati said on television that the reason Indonesia keeps sending TKWs to Arab Saudi is because of a very high demand and supply. Silly excuse. Of course the demand is high, not because of the quality of the workers, but because the price is damn cheap, let alone without protection, even MoU with their government. Slaves for everyone!
If it is true that the demand is high, then, there you go, the solution could come from the within; for example, better bargaining by the Indos, instead of trying to control the Arabs. Changing yourself is always easier than (trying to) changing others. It just makes sense.
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Odinius says:
People,
This shoudn’t be about “the Saudis” and whether people from there are “bad” or “good”–that’s asinine. Like people from everywhere else, some are A, some are B. Rather, debate should center on what the Indonesian government can and should do in response to an overly permissive environment when it comes to violence against Indonesian citizens, particularly female migrant workers. There seems to be a broad consensus in the DPR that this is the case, but what next?
Realistically speaking, what can/should the Indonesian government do? Issue warnings against working in Saudi Arabia? Bar individuals from seeking work there? Make bilateral trade relations contingent upon satisfactory resolution of abuse cases? Bring the case to the ICC (in the event that Saudi courts do not convict) as a violation of Sumiati’s human rights? Take a softer, more diplomatic approach? Something else entirely?
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“Something else entirely?”
I’d rather see Indonesia stop sending unskilled labours, but according to our Prez, giving them handphones will solve the problem. -
A campaign to isolate a country? Ah, I’m sure every country has a reason to be isolated if violence is the only deciding factor.
This is not only about incidental violence but about a pattern and an attitude towards subordinates of a different ethnicity. Call it slavery or bondage. And it’s not only a few Indonesian maids who are the victims of it. Construction workers from India and Bangladesh undergo the same faith on a massive scale because, being poor and in many cases illiterate, they also have no bargaining power. Upon arrival their passports are taken away and they become at the mercy of their employers. They are forced to live in camps in appalling circumstances. The only way to stop it is for the international community to be informed, to speak up and take measures. If it persists then in the long term isolation or boycott may work. It has proven to be effective in the case South Africa.
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Oigal says:
Timdog
If no Saudi (or Singaporean, or American) would ever willingly clean your toilet and iron your socks for less money a month than you spent on lunch yesterday,
Rather a dim view of the world…I spent a few years in East Timor where unqaulified people and “helpers” were paid the “Western Rate” because that was only fair..
Of course, the consequence was that there was only jobs for 20% of the people but the market prices when up to meet the newly rich which a bag of rice 15-20 times the price in Dili compared to Kupang..
Not to mention, the first thing the RT did when we moved into the village how many “helpers” would I employ from the village..So should I not employ any because I cannot afford to pay them the rate I would expect to do the same work?
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Oigal,
Not to mention, the first thing the RT did when we moved into the village how many “helpers” would I employ from the village..So should I not employ any because I cannot afford to pay them the rate I would expect to do the same work?
In practice, of course not, and certainly not in a country where the wage you would pay the “help” would an amount what large swathes of the local population would expect to live on (I won’t say “be content with”; careful there!), though I would hope that one day that might change.
Why don’t many quite frankly low-ranking professionals or small businessmen in Europe have a couple of live-in maids? Because the wages they would have to pay them would take up such a huge chunk of their own income that it’s simply not possible, and actually, that’s how it probably should be, ultimately…But that’s off the point, because in the comment of mine you picked up on I was specifically talking not about places like Indonesia, but about countries like Arab Saudi and Singapore which are, in fact, countries that really have the same sort of conditions that exist in Europe and where middle class people therefore don’t actually have enough money to have a live-in maid, not really, not when you consider the (entirely reasonable) income expectations of even those of their fellow citizens at “the bottom”.
But they still insist on having them. So they ship them in from much poorer countries, pay them less than any citizen would ever accept, and then slowly, pervasively, persuasively, perniciously those shipped-in people become dehumanised in the way I outlined in my first post.
It’s nasty, deeply nasty and with nasty consequences, even in countries nowhere near as generally nasty as Saudi Arabia (Malaysia or Singapore, for example), and not a system that should be looked on as a good way to run a society. -
J.J says:
Dear Sumiati Binti Salan Mustapa ,
Your right will not be lost and the criminal will not be tolerated with in our country.
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ibrahim says:
what happen to ms Sumiati Binti Salan Mustapa is not acceptable and the guy who did this to her should face juctuce . i m so sorry in the name of saudi people im a saudi man and i realy feel a shamed by such act. in the other hand we should realize that the reputation of the indinsain maid is very bad in saudi arabia these maid sometimes will runaway or the will abuse children or they will make magic for there emplyer
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they do nasi kangkang too in saudi arabia?
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Lairedion says:
or they will make magic for there emplyer
Saudis, being the most austere and puritanical in practicing Islam, don’t buy this, do they? We should send the FPI to you to get you in line. They belong to Arabia anyway and we can get rid of them. Beneficial for both Saudis and Indonesians.
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Yea, right, send those FPI (back) to saudi arabia. I mean, I believe in a few years you saudis will need more recruits for your moral police (muttawa), right? We’ll be happy to give away all our stocks of FPI to you, not as strong as the Gauls, but in healthy conditions, no disease, and best of all: gratis.
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Agan says:
@ Mr. Ibrahim,
Well saying sorry is not gonna cut it my friend; you need to walk the talks by cleaning up the abusive employers who‘ve tarnished the reputation of the good people of Saudi like your self.
Moreover if Sumiati was really able cast a spell to her male Saudi employers to like her why she have to be in Saudi to do that?
Did it occur to you that maybe it’s the case of jealousy in the part of his wife/daughter that went haywire?
This is an outrage and must be stopped! -
Oh wait, I know the answer: that wicked woman who tortured Sumiati is not a good saudi.
(just as imam samudra cs. are not good muslims). -
in the other hand we should realize that the reputation of the indinsain maid is very bad in saudi arabia these maid sometimes will runaway
Ah so in the bizarre sewer nether world that is SA, its a justification to beat a woman to pulp because she runs away (Like where could the poor bugger run anyway)? Still I guess if SA starts treating them as humans the next thing you know they will be wanting do drive cars and stuff…ungrateful wretches!
While you are at it Ibrahim, what was the justification for the school girls who died in the fire because another bunch of ignorant primatives would not let them flee with their heads uncovered..
What a nasty horrible place!
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Aprianti said
I’d rather see Indonesia stop sending unskilled labours, but according to our Prez, giving them handphones will solve the problem.
Very clever your Prez. I wonder how many will be allowed to keep their handphones, let alone buy pulsa.
Besides with this kind of ‘body language’ I also wonder how Arab employers and Indonesian maids generally communicate. -
ET,
At first I thought it was a marketing campaign from Telkomsel or something but it was my Prez who failed using his common sense.
About the mean to communicate, that’s my concern too. The ability to speak the language of the destination country is a must for migrant workers, which is mainly ignored by Depnaker or TKI agents by shortening or skipping the training session for these prospective employees. Lack of the language ability might encourage the (already evil) employers to use their hands rather than their mouth in communicating.
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yilin says:
Shameful to see some posters trying to take the tragedy encountered by these human beings, and using it to score cheap political points against the Saudis (who are not a race, but a nationality). Instead of using the abuse suffered by Sumiati as an excuse to justify anti-Saudi racism, why not actually suggest ways to overcome the problem like Angel is doing?
“If you do a search of the phrase “maid abuse” in Google (I did it via an anonymous proxy so that Google does not bias the search towards Singapore) you will find that the 6 of the top 8 results are links to articles about maid abuse in Singapore. Why do a small but significant number of Singaporeans treat their maids this way? ….”
http://singaporemind.blogspot.com/2009/04/maid-abuse-singapores-shame.html“An Indonesian maid has told a harrowing story of how she was repeatedly burnt with an iron and scalded with boiling water by her Malaysian employer’s wife.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3732241.stmSo in the name of consistency, I guess all of you calling for the entire Saudi nation to be exterminated are doing the same thing against the Singaporeans and the Malaysians…
No? Didn’t think so. Hypocrites.
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Yilin, how nice of you hiding behind a chinesque name…. Maybe I should address you with your real name: Hi Khalilalilalalala….
Your problem is to think that the problem is something else other than the real problem that is the saudis. We need no more looking around. Exterminate the saudis, problem solved.
Well, in a few years from now your oil wells will be dried up anyway. Enjoy!
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Why is this apologetic attitude in favor of a bullying nouveau-riche ethnicity with a history of slave drivers? I can only repeat what I said before. Whereever there’s a general pattern of abuse against subordinates there is a civilization and paradigm problem. It’s called bondage and more advanced civilizations have since long abolished it.
What ‘takdir’ is in Chinese I don’t know but I know what it means in Arabic.