Malaysian consulate temporarily closes

Malaysian consulate temporarily closes

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan

Several people line up outside the office of the Malaysian
consulate in Medan. They were just a few of the hundreds of
would-be migrant workers who were stranded on Wednesday following
the closure of the consulate, apparently due to the rising anti-
Malaysian sentiments in Indonesia.

Due to the closure three days ago, people wanting to work
legally in Malaysia have not been able to obtain their work
visas.

Dahlia binti Lolo recounted that she had lodged her work visa
application a week ago, but as of Wednesday she had still not got
it. "Today is the third time I've come here, and the office is
still closed. I need the visa immediately so that I can get back
to Malaysia and resume work," said Dahlia in front of the
consulate.

Dahlia had worked legally as a maid for three years in Kuala
Lumpur, but because her working visa expired she had to return to
Indonesia to have it renewed.

Alfi, a staffer at a manpower recruitment agency in Medan,
said that the consulate closure had affected the departure of
many migrant workers to Malaysia. Malaysian employers have
complained about the sluggish processing of Indonesians wishing
to work in Malaysia, he said.

Responding to the complaints, Malaysian consul-general in
Medan Mohd Yusoff A. Bakar confirmed that the office had been
closed due to waves of anti-Malaysian protests. He said that the
office would reopen when the situation returned to normal.