Apjati urges creation of national agency for TKI

Apjati urges creation of national agency for TKI

JAKARTA (JP): The Labor Exporters Association (Apjati) is
calling on the government to set up a new national agency to
simplify overseas Indonesian worker (TKI) affairs which it
currently considers to be too complicated, ineffective and
inefficient.

Husein A. Alaydrus, chairman of Apjati, said the continued
controversy regarding overseas workers had a lot to do with the
absence of strong coordination in the executive body and the
increasing number of Indonesian workers overseas who encounter
problems.

"It's better for the government to set up a national agency to
handle overseas worker affairs because the current procedure is
very complicated, ineffective and inefficient," he said.

Husein stated that the recruitment of workers and their
dispatch overseas had to go through complicated procedures from
local administrations, the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry,
the National Police, the directorate general of immigration, the
Transportation Ministry and the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

"The absence of legal certainty in overseas employment has
resulted in a high cost economy," he said, adding that with the
establishment of a national agency, the matter would no longer be
under the whim of various bureaucracies.

Husein said the government has the main task of facilitating
and creating a climate conducive for people to work overseas to
help alleviate unemployment problems and increase remittances
from the sector.

"The government also has an obligation to provide training for
workers," he added pointing to the fact that many Indonesian
workers abroad get into trouble because of their poor
skills. (rms)