Malaysia told to sign MOU on workers

Ivy Susanti, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

President Megawati Soekarnoputri has asked Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to respond to Jakarta's draft of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the protection of migrant workers in the informal sector.

Indonesia's foreign ministry spokesman Yuri Octavian Thamrin said on Friday, the request was made by Megawati in an informal meeting with Badawi, on the sidelines of their visit to Bandar Seri Begawan to attend the wedding ceremony of Brunei Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah Bolkiah last week.

"Badawi has agreed to immediately reply to the MOU draft. We have submitted the draft to Malaysia," Yuri said, here.

Workers in the informal sector, mostly domestic helpers and plantation workers, comprise the bulk of the 1.2 million Indonesians employed in Malaysia.

Indonesia and Malaysia signed an MOU in August on the employment of Indonesian workers in the neighboring country. With the MOU, Malaysian employers are required to hire Indonesian migrant workers directly from authorized Indonesian labor exporting companies and pay the workers the prevailing wage of around RM 1,000 (US$263) per month.

Yuri said Badawi understood Indonesia's reasons for delaying the mass repatriation of around 700,000 to 800,000 illegal migrant workers after the presidential election runoff, which will take place on Monday.

"The repatriation will be arranged carefully and will be carried out gradually. We don't want to create any political tension between the two countries," he said.

He added that the Malaysian government had agreed the repatriation would start by January 2005.

Indonesia has expressed fears that, if the deportation of workers was earlier, it could pose a security threat as the country prepares for the final stage of the election.

Since July, thousands of Indonesians working illegally in Malaysia have reportedly returned home through Tanjung Uban and Sri Bintan Pura ports in Riau. It is not clear whether they left the neighboring country of their own volition or had been deported by the Malaysian authorities.

During her meeting with Badawi, Megawati also invited the Malaysian prime minister to visit Jakarta for bilateral talks. Yuri said the summit is expected to take place later in September or early in October.