RI eases up on KL over migrant workers<\/p>\n
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The government has admitted that it sees no real chance of
\npersuading Malaysia to lift its restrictive policy on Indonesian
\nmigrant workers in the near future.<\/p>\n
Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Jacob Nuwa Wea said on
\nThursday that Indonesia would just wait until the Malaysian
\ngovernment had calmed down before talks on reopening the border
\nto Indonesian migrant workers.<\/p>\n
\"We cannot force our will on someone who is angry with us. Let
\nthe dispute subside, while waiting for the results of a joint
\ncommission set up to settle the matter.<\/p>\n
\"There is still a chance the restriction will be lifted. The
\nMalaysian government may let in workers from countries other than
\nIndonesia, but companies there are keen on employing
\nIndonesians,\" Nuwa Wea said after attending a Cabinet meeting.<\/p>\n
The Malaysian government claims there are 450,000 illegal
\nIndonesian migrant within its borders, and it plans to deport
\n10,000 of them every month.<\/p>\n
Malaysia has put a restriction on Indonesians working as maids
\nand plantation workers after recent riots by Indonesian
\nindustrial workers.<\/p>\n
During a meeting between relevant ministers of the two
\ncountries earlier this week, Malaysia rejected a plea by
\nIndonesia to review the new restrictions on Indonesian workers.<\/p>\n
An official said Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad
\nwould visit Jakarta later this year, adding that Indonesia would
\nhost a meeting of the joint commission next year.<\/p>\n
Nuwa Wea said he would visit Malaysia for talks with Malaysian
\nministers of home affairs and human resources.<\/p>\n
\"I will meet the officials when conditions are favorable. The
\nmost important thing is, is that we have to fight for hundreds of
\nthousands of Indonesians who will be affected by the new labor
\npolicy,\" said Nuwa Wea.<\/p>\n
Separately, House of Representatives deputy speaker Tosari
\nWijaya criticized the government for not doing enough to protect
\nIndonesian migrant workers in Malaysia.<\/p>\n
He said that as long as Malaysian companies were willing to
\nemploy Indonesians, the Malaysian government had no right to
\nexpel them.<\/p>\n
Tosari, who is a unionist, will lead an eight-member
\ndelegation of the Federation of Indonesian Labor Unions to
\nMalaysia next week. They will meet and solicit support from their
\nMalaysian counterparts.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ri-eases-up-on-kl-over-migrant-workers-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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