Southern Riot uses music to express anger at migrant worker agencies

Taipei, Aug. 24 (CNA) "Our rights have been taken away, silenced with a threat, here we stand and fight, the slavery system," Indonesian rock band Southern Riot sang its iconic song as it took to the stage in a crowded room in a Kaohsiung bar on a Sunday night in July.

The song is called "Love Song from the Indonesian Migrant Workers," or in Indonesian, "Lagu Cinta dari. BMI," but the lyrics actually touch upon their "relationship" with migrant worker recruitment agencies.

"It's a kind of satire. It's a way to express our feelings about how some of our rights are not being respected," the band's 26-year-old guitarist Danddy told CNA in a recent interview, "Love can be both evil or good, simply put, that's where it comes from."

With the audience shouting and dancing energetically throughout the 40-minute performance, the band -- formed by Danddy, lead singer Rudi, bassist Vai and drummer Bobo -- belted out six songs in a row.

"We're migrant workers in Pingtung, Kaohsiung and Tainan. And we have some problems with the agencies in Taiwan," 26-year-old Vai from Indramayu, a village in Indonesia, repeated to the audience in the pauses between songs.

"Can you help me? Can you? If we say 'agency,' you say 'messy,'" Vai shouted.

It began with a rally

The band was formed around January 2022, just before the biennial Migrant Workers Rally in Taipei. At that time, they performed at the rally to express their dissatisfaction with migrant workers' inability to "freely change employers."

Participants in the rally also called for government direct hiring and the end of brokers.

At that time, the Ministry of Labor said the regulations had already been made more flexible. In 2023, the ministry added that any recruitment method would still need to "adhere to market mechanisms," without expanding on the details.

Originally a trio, the band evolved after the former lead singer returned to Indonesia and other members remained in Taiwan.

Danddy explained that the current members met through mutual friends and social media, and gathered periodically to practice.

Much of their inspiration comes from friends who work as caregivers or factory workers, who often speak about unfair treatment, he said.

The term "slavery system," or "sistem perbudakan" in Indonesian, appears frequently in their songs. The guitarist emphasized that the phrase is meant to be critical: "As I said before, why are we not seen?"

"There are some systems that my friends say are not transparent. That's the basic idea."

There are currently over 750,000 migrant workers in Taiwan. Indonesians constitute the largest group, comprising around 36 percent, followed by workers from Vietnam, the Philippines, and Thailand.

Despite the Taiwanese government's pledge to improve migrant workers' rights, progress has been limited. Many still face challenges such as low wages and poor working conditions imposed by employers and agencies.

Singing the struggles

"From the start, I liked Southern Riot because the songs are produced by Indonesian migrant workers," said Annie Hsu, an Indonesian migrant caregiver in Taipei, who traveled to Kaohsiung for the show.

"They express our complaints and grievances here," she added.

Yusuf Fahrezi, a recent graduate from Kaohsiung's Cheng Shiu University, also explained his admiration for the band: "I like them because many of their songs address the concerns and frustrations of migrant workers in Taiwan."

"It's not just about the music; there's a deeper meaning behind the lyrics, which is why I really connect with them," he continued.

According to the Migrant Empowerment Network in Taiwan, an alliance of migrant worker associations, there are over 1,000 agencies in the country recruiting foreign workers, mainly from Southeast Asia.

These companies normally earn fees from workers when they are still in their home countries and in Taiwan.

The organization said the Taiwan government should take direct responsibility for migrant workers in the country, or agencies will continue to exercise tight control over workers' job opportunities. Migrant workers are generally prohibited from changing employers during their period of employment.

Although the band does not seek fame, its members hope that as their songs gain popularity, the Taiwanese government and relevant parties will pay more attention to the migrant worker community.

"We are workers here too, and there shouldn't be so much discrimination," said Danddy. "We are all just trying to earn a living."