The director Ho Yuhang visits Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, to have an interview with Adian Napitupulu, the leader of a political group called BENDERA, which employs the slogan, “GANYANG MALAYSIA!“(Crush Malaysia). Why do they want to crush Yuhan’s mother country? In the process of seeking the source of their thoughts, the film cuts into the problems lying between Malaysia and Indonesia, and the historical relationships between the two countries.

“No One is Illegal” is the latest documentary film by Ho Yuhang, who has led the “Malaysian New Wave” with films including Rain Dogs, and At the End of the Daybreak. The film was produced as a project of the Rotterdam International Film Festival. It is a pop piece filled with innovative, unique ideas such as the use of animation, and distinctive tickers.

”GANYANG MALAYSIA”, the slogan put up by BENDERA (BENTENG DMOKRASI RAKYAT- the Fortress People’s Democracy), was originally propounded by the first President of Indonesia, Sukarno. It has its origin in the conflict over the sovereignty of Sarawak in Borneo (Kalimantan) Island and northern Borneo, which arose when Malaysia became independent. In August 2010, three Indonesian officials of the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries who had encroached into Malaysian waters were arrested. Angered by this act, the members of BENDERA held a demonstration in front of the Embassy of Malaysia in Jakarta. The number of Indonesians working in Malaysia amounts to about 2.2 million. It equals 8% of the whole Malaysian population, five hundred thousand of which are said to be illegal immigrants. In recent years, incidents in which they are treated unjustly in Malaysia have occurred. These incidents are one of the factors worsening the emotions of Indonesian people.