Serang, Banten – To prevent local people from becoming strangers in their own home, there should be no more foreign workers flocking to Banten province, the student wing of one of the country's key Islamic organizations has said.

The Banten branch of the Muhammadiyah Student Union (IMM) said it firmly rejects the presence of foreign workers in the province, which borders Jakarta and is home to large industrial complexes and prime tourism spots under development.

Overall, however, Banten is one of Indonesia's poorest and least-developed provinces and it was long ruled by the notoriously corrupt governor Ratu Atut Chosiyah – currently in jail for bribing the chief justice of the Constitutional Court – and her cronies.

"Unemployment numbers in Banten remain high," Yogi Iskandar, the chairman of IMM Banten, said on Saturday. "But ironically, investors in Banten are recruiting a large number of foreign workers."

"We'll ask the local governments in Banten to join our movement. The government at the district, city and provincial level has the duty to enhance local human resource development, so that it is no longer necessary to have Banten flooded with foreign workers."

The province's Cilegon and Serang districts host a number of large industrial parks that include steel, food, footwear and petrochemical manufacturers. Yogi likened the presence of foreign workers to a form of occupation.

"Banten's natural resources in the end will only be enjoyed by foreign nationals, and the local original population will be left with the role of spectator," he said. "It will be dangerous if we let this happen."

"There are currently more than 10,000 foreign nationals who work in Banten. It's not natural anymore when we're flooded with another 35,000 foreign workers."

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/muhammadiyah-youths-reject-foreign-workers-banten/