Special attention urged for RI workers in Saudi<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas yesterday
\ninstructed Indonesia's newly appointed Consul General to Jeddah,
\nAnwar Yasin, to pay special attention to the plight of Indonesian
\nworkers in Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n
Alatas said the duties of the consulate general in Jeddah has
\nbecome all the more important with the "rising demand for
\nIndonesian workers and the number of people going on the haj and
\numroh (minor) pilgrimages.<\/p>\n
During an inauguration ceremony at the foreign ministry
\nbuilding, Alatas told Yasin: "I ask that you give special
\nattention in overseeing the matter of Indonesian laborers."<\/p>\n
Also initiated during the ceremony were Jacky Djumantara Wahyu
\nas Consul General to Vancouver, Canada, and Soejono Soerjoatmodjo
\nas Consul General to Chicago, United States.<\/p>\n
Alatas' instructions came just two-days after members of the
\nHouse of Representatives questioned him on the ministry's stance
\non sending Indonesian workers abroad.<\/p>\n
To the House, Alatas expressed concern over the matter and
\nindicated his distress at the large number of unskilled laborers
\nthe country was sending overseas.<\/p>\n
There is an estimated one million Indonesians employed abroad
\nwith about 500,000 in Saudi Arabia and 400,000 in Malaysia.<\/p>\n
"The matter of Indonesian workers, for the foreign ministry,
\nis viewed in terms of Indonesia's image abroad. The foreign
\nministry is deeply concerned," Alatas said during a hearing with
\nthe House's Commission I on foreign policy and defense.<\/p>\n
He felt that sending too many unskilled workers abroad would
\ncreate a false image "such as the complex image of the Turks in
\nEurope."<\/p>\n
However, the minister yielded to the fact that it is part of
\nan overall government policy and he is thus obliged to oversee
\nits secure implementation abroad.<\/p>\n
"The foreign ministry is part of the government, the foreign
\nministry cannot act alone," he told legislators while noting the
\nwider economic considerations and lack of jobs at home to defend
\nthe policy.<\/p>\n
Members of the House have in the past called on the government
\nto stop the business of sending workers abroad, especially
\nfemales who work in the informal sector.<\/p>\n
A fact-finding mission by members of the House found that
\nabout 1,500 Indonesian female workers in Saudi Arabia had been
\nsexually abused.<\/p>\n
Legal protection in this area seems nonexistent since female
\nworkers in the informal sector, such as maids, are not covered by
\nthe Saudi ministry of labor and social affairs.<\/p>\n
Legislator Kamil Shahab from the United Development Party
\nfaction pointed at the high number of cases of sexual abuse and
\nbrought up the issue of protecting Indonesian workers in the oil-
\nrich kingdom.<\/p>\n
An Indonesia couple working as laborers were beheaded in
\nNovember without Indonesian authorities being notified.<\/p>\n
Alatas admitted his concern at the ill fate of the couple but
\nexplained that the situation was sometimes beyond the
\ngovernment's control.<\/p>\n
"You don't have to look as far as Saudi Arabia, even in
\nMalaysia they are late in informing us if an Indonesian has been
\narrested," he remarked.<\/p>\n
"We will always try to defend Indonesian workers. But
\nsometimes the situation is like that," the minister told the
\nlegislators. (mds)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/special-attention-urged-for-ri-workers-in-saudi-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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