RI, Malaysia agree to simplify labor export mechanism

Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Two weeks ahead of the planned crackdown on illegal migrants in Malaysia, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur agreed on Friday to simplify labor export procedures. The intention is that more than 300,000 Indonesians working illegally in the neighboring country would be persuaded to return home, before heading back to their workplaces with the necessary documents.

Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Fahmi Idris and Malaysian Home Minister Dato' Azmi Khalid said in a joint press conference after their meeting in Jakarta that the two governments would provide a "three-month one-roof service" at 14 points of departure in Indonesia, so the repatriated workers could return to work in Malaysia legally.

Among the 14 departure points are Belawan in North Sumatra, Tanjung Pinang in Riau, Kuala Tungkal in Jambi, Pare-pare in South Sulawesi, Mataram in West Nusa Tenggara, Entikong in West Kalimantan and Nunukan in East Kalimantan.

Malaysia and Indonesia would deploy officials from their ministries of home affairs, manpower, immigration and foreign affairs to provide passports, working visas, labor contracts and certificates to workers wanting to work in Malaysia.

Minister of Justice and Human Rights Hamid Awaluddin, who attended Friday's meeting, said the immigration office would charge Rp 150,000 (US$15.7) per passport.

Passports will be directly given to applicants, he added.

"Workers have frequently paid high fees to obtain passports and other documents because labor exporters have used brokers to produce such documents," Hamid said.

Labor exporters have commonly charged recruitment fees of up to Rp 4 million per person from workers wanting to work in Malaysia, causing many workers to enter the neighboring country illegally.

Under the one-roof system, workers would be able to get the necessary documents within one day and the cost structure of labor recruitment would be altered to encourage people to seek legal employment.

Minister Fahmi said the Malaysian and Indonesian governments had also agreed to deregulate their own labor policies in an effort to prevent people from working illegally.

"On the Indonesian side, the government will reduce the role of exporters in labor supply to stop the extortion of migrant workers.

"Labor exporters will be asked to handle the training of workers, their departure and placement in Malaysia," he said, vowing that the government would take stern action against any officials found to have extorted workers.

Azmi Khalid said the Malaysian government would allow Indonesian workers to pay levies for the first six months, instead of one year, of their employment, so that workers would not have their monthly salary cut for a prolonged period, either by their employer or sponsor.

"Workers will pay only 150 ringgit, instead of 300 ringgit, for the first six months of their employment in Malaysia," he said.

Azmi asserted that the series of measures would be taken to prevent the flow of illegal workers to Malaysia and boost legal protection for Indonesian workers overseas.

"The Malaysian government will go ahead with its plan to crack down on around 1.2 million illegal migrants and deport them quickly. Indonesian workers who are still working illegally in Malaysia should return home and apply for the necessary documents to legalize their employment in Malaysia, so they will gain our legal protection," he said.

Kuala Lumpur has several times extended the deadline for its amnesty program for Indonesian illegal workers to leave the neighboring country, or face imprisonment or other harsh punishments there.

The latest extension was announced after the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunamis in Aceh and North Sumatra, which killed more than 110,000 people. The illegal workers were given until Jan. 30 to return to Indonesia.

"So far, only 287,000 workers have returned home since the amnesty offer was made on Nov. 14, 2004, and more than 300,000 Indonesian illegals are still there," Fahmi said.

He asked the remaining illegal workers to return home within the next two weeks, or face the consequences.

Fahmi said the Indonesian government could not prevent Malaysia from pressing ahead with its planned raids on illegal migrants and that it was just a matter of time before they were launched.