Migrant-worker law still a dream

JAKARTA: A coalition of non-governmental organizations called on the government to immediately appoint a minister to represent them in the discussion of the bill on the protection of migrant workers and their family members with the House of Representatives (DPR) before their tenure expires.

The coalition has collected over 2,000 signatures for a petition demanding the president to heed the request, as no response was issued to previous letters regarding the issue.

"The draft was ready back in March 2002. It's been two years. This petition is proof of our concern over the fate of migrant workers," said Suprihatin of the Indonesian Migrant Workers Consortium (KOPBUMI).

She regretted the condition, considering that migrant workers remained one of the biggest contributors to the country's revenue. Labor export, mainly to Malaysia and Saudi Arabia, earned the state up to US$9 billion in 2002.

KOPBUMI recorded in 2003, that around 90 Indonesian workers had died while posted overseas, while hundreds of others were detained for their lack of proper documents. -- JP