RI and Malaysia to sign MoU on migrant workers

RI and Malaysia to sign MoU on migrant workers

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesia and Malaysia are scheduled to discuss a new memorandum
of understanding (MoU) on Indonesian migrant labor in September
in a bid to address the recent humanitarian crisis that resulted
from the expulsion of Indonesian illegal workers from Malaysia.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said on Monday
that the new memorandum would cover all issues related to migrant
workers.

"The Indonesian government will prepare an MoU that covers the
recruitment and replacement of these workers, and the concept
will then be discussed with Malaysia in September," Hassan said
during a press conference organized to mark the 57th anniversary
of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He stressed that it was important to achieve a comprehensive
solution to the migrant worker issue that could accommodate the
interests of both countries.

The draft of the new MoU, Hassan said, would be jointly
discussed by his ministry, the Ministry of Manpower and
Transmigration, and the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights.

The issue of illegal Indonesian workers in Malaysia came to a
head after the neighboring country introduced a new Immigration
Act permitting caning, fines and jail terms for foreigners
working illegally in that country.

According to Minister Hassan, some 320,000 illegal workers had
been deported to Indonesia, while some 160,000 workers had passed
through the Indonesian border town of Nunukan in East Kalimantan
from East Malaysia.

Dozens of Indonesians have already been caned, fined or
imprisoned since the law took effect on Aug. 1. They are to be
deported after serving their sentences.

"It is the right of Malaysia as a sovereign country to deal
with the issue of illegal migrant workers there, and it is time
for us to do something to improve matters regarding this issue,"
Hassan said.

Indonesia and Malaysia failed to agree on a memorandum of
understanding on illegal workers during a two-day consultation
meeting between President Megawati Soekarnoputri and Malaysian
Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad at the Tampaksiring palace in
Bali earlier this month.

Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Jacob Nuwa Wea blamed
the failure on Minister Hassan, accusing him of not engaging in
enough diplomatic efforts with Malaysia.

The earlier, proposed MoU was supposed to have provided for
the sharing of the burden of deporting illegal workers between
Indonesia and Malaysia.

Hassan, however, argued that there was no point in signing
such an agreement with Malaysia as the latter had already started
deporting Indonesian illegal workers.

"I do not want to engage in a public debate with my colleague,
but people need to understand that the decision to develop a more
comprehensive MoU on labor was reached during an
interdepartmental meeting and not by the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs alone," Hassan said.