Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – President Megawati Sukarnoputri has been on a seven-nation tour abroad while President Gloria Arroyo has personally visited illegal workers deported from Malaysia.
Ms Megawati disputed the death toll in workers' camps while Mrs Arroyo took up the case of a 13-year-old who was allegedly raped in detention and managed to arrange legal aid for detainees.
The difference between the Indonesian and Philippine governments' handling of the illegal-workers crisis is making headlines here.
Newspapers have questioned whether the President should be touring Africa and Europe while the death toll mounts in the East Kalimantan port town of Nunukan.
More than 24,000 workers are camping in plastic tents there while awaiting work permits to return to Malaysia or find transportation back to Java and Sulawesi.
Health workers say 69 people have died from diarrhoea and other diseases in these camps since May.
Last Tuesday, local tabloid Rakyat Merdeka featured a picture of Ms Megawati aboard her plane with the caption: Mega enjoys the pleasures of the plane.
Next to it was a photo of workers holding out bowls and the caption: Workers queue up to eat at the camps.
The President has hit back at critics who say she should not be touring Africa and lecturing on poverty when dozens have been dying back home. On Saturday, she told reporters in Algiers that the trip was necessary to encourage the return of foreign investment to Indonesia.
"It is my job to reintroduce Indonesia, which has been out of the international political spotlight due to the prolonged crisis in the country over the last four years," she said.
She also pointed out that Vice-President Hamzah Haz was responsible for handling the workers' crisis. "This problem has really been blown up by the press," she said.
Comparisons with Mrs Arroyo may seem unfair but, as The Jakarta Post pointed out in its Saturday editorial, "Arroyo personally went to greet the Philippine workers deported from Malaysia last week; Megawati decided to go ahead with her lengthy overseas trip". It added: "Admittedly, this contrasting approach was simply too irresistible for us to ignore."
Other newspapers were harsher. A Kompas newspaper survey of 800 people showed 66.3 per cent did not believe the government cared about illegal workers.
An online survey by Media Indonesia asked: "What is more important for the President to do, visit the Earth Summit or visit Nunukan?" It found 64 per cent thought visiting Nunukan was more important.
More than half the respondents also blamed the government's lack of involvement for the deaths.
Media Indonesia newspaper also carried opinion pieces criticising the President.
Print and TV editors have defended their critical stance, arguing it is their duty to draw the government's attention to the crisis. "This case is an emergency situation that the government should handle seriously," said one senior news manager.