Mataram City Government weighs recommendations for Indonesian migrant workers' deployment to the Middle East

The Mataram City Government, in West Nusa Tenggara, is re-examining its policy on issuing recommendations for Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) to depart for the Middle East amid escalating tensions in the region. ‘In the current crisis, new recommendations for PMI will be studied more thoroughly in accordance with developments in security in the Middle East,’ said H Miftahurrahman, Assistant II to the Mataram City Secretariat and acting head of the Mataram City Department of Labour, in Mataram on Wednesday. This was said because although there is an ongoing conflict in the Middle East, the demand among Mataram residents to become PMI remains high. Evidence of this is the current number of PMI from Mataram in the Middle East, which stands at 238. However, given the unsettled situation in the Middle East, the Labour Department will be more selective in issuing recommendations, as there are no official indications yet of a closure or suspension of outbound shipments. ‘But in these conditions we must be vigilant and anticipate possible developments,’ he said. He noted that full authority on supervision, eligibility of deployment, and permits lies with the central government and BP3MI. While district/city-level processes are still limited to administrative screening and provision of recommendations, for now new recommendations will be examined more thoroughly according to developments in the security situation in the Middle East. Miftah urged PMI from Mataram currently in the region to heighten vigilance. While there have been no official reports of problems for Mataram’s PMI to date. Therefore, coordination with provincial authorities and BP3MI is being intensified to monitor PMI conditions in each destination country. ‘We hope that PMI already in the Middle East will report to the local Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) for registration and protection,’ he said. In addition, Miftah urged residents not to panic and to follow instructions from Indonesian government representatives there, staying vigilant to reduce risk by paying attention to security conditions in their surroundings.