Malaysia told to sign MOU on workers

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.