Wednesday 26 January 2011

TO IMPROVE PROTECTION OF INDONESIAN MIGRANT WORKERS

Chairman of HIMSATAKI Yunus M. Yamani was most aggrieved by the many torments experienced by Indonesian Migrant Workers abroad – to the extent of having to invite America’s number one Man Barrack Obama to highlight on the miseries of Indonesian Migrant Workers in the Middle East. He pointed out that all the Government’s effort, by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or by the Minister of Labor and Transmigration to protect Indonesian MigrantWorkers had not been to the maximum or well focused.

According to Yamani, the system of protection for Indonesian Migrant Workers had to be changed because what had been practiced so far have not brought maximum result.

Yamani quoted what had been published Saudi Arabian press Ulkash and Al Ryadh that of the 1,430 workers running away from their employers, 31 percent of them were Indonesian workers. The question was: why did they run away and where did they run away to? The print media even mentioned that Saudi Arabian citizens lost 420 million Ryals a year due to the flight of workers.

Whereas according to 3 PPTKIS associations, namely: APJATI, HIMSTATAKI, and IDEA, a good number of migrant workers problems started at home in Indonesia, the cases being: the workers being of low quality; so the Government in accordance with Law no 39 year 2004 obliged candidate workers who were planning to work abroad to have competence by undergoing a 21 day training plan. This was not a matter of PPTKIS greed but it’s the Government’s Regulation, but the Ministry of Labor and Transmigration was not resolute enough in rule enforcement. The result migrant workers departed without competence while their qualities were low.

Supposedly with the attention of US President Barrack Obama and the outspread of news about problematic migrant workers, they should serve as motivation and encouragement for the Government to reform the system whereby to prevent outsiders’ interference in Indonesia’s internal affairs.

Vice Chairman of HIMSATAKI Abdul Bari stated that all parties should stick together, arm in arm and shoulder to shoulder so outsiders needed not to interfere with Indonesia’s internal affairs. “It’s pure business, take it or leave it.”

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