Envoy checking why Indonesian workers stopped from leaving for Malaysia

 

Indonesia’s top envoy to Malaysia is working with his ministries to uncover the “real reason” why 164 workers were not permitted to leave their country for Malaysia last night.

The workers were prevented from leaving Lombok in the Nusa Tenggara Barat cluster of islands by the Agency for the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers due to documentation issues.

Indonesia’s ambassador to Malaysia, Hermono (above), said he was perplexed as to the documentation issues and said the workers were not even the first batch of Indonesians seeking employment since Malaysia reopened its international borders.

“We have already processed 28 other workers who arrived in Penang last week on employment in the manufacturing industry.

“But we are not certain which documentations were incomplete and I am waiting to hear back from our Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Manpower,” he said.

Last night, Human Resources Minister M Saravanan cancelled a press conference that was scheduled to take place following the arrival of the 164 workers on a flight chartered by Sime Darby Plantation Bhd.

Hermono said the confusion could have stemmed from “single-entry visas” issued to the workers by the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta as the visa stamp indicated “not permitted to work”.

He said the visas were issued after the embassy received Calling Visas for each worker from the Immigration Department in Malaysia.

“This was the standard operating procedure for the Malaysian Immigration Department so I am not sure why there was any confusion.

“Upon arrival, the workers would have undergone a medical examination at any of the Fomema-authorised hospitals or clinics and if they pass, they will be issued a Temporary Employment Visit Pass,” he explained.

He added that they are working on ironing out any doubts with the agency that was acting in the best interest of the workers so that they will be able to come to Malaysia to work.

All boxes ticked

Hermono said the workers would have been Sime Darby’s first recruits since Malaysia reopened its borders and that the plantation had checked all the boxes in exemplary recruitment practices.

He said the One Channel System between Malaysia and Indonesia had also recorded applications for workers from all sectors and that these workers had been approved by all the relevant authorities including the embassy.

He said workers entering Malaysia through legal channels will not have to fork out recruitment fees, will have custody of their passports, and will be paid no less than RM1,500 a month.

“Sime had chartered a flight to bring their workers in together and not in batches.

“These are workers who had already started the recruitment process to work in Malaysia even before borders were closed owing to the pandemic and they were already promised a minimum wage of RM1,500 two years ago.

“Sime had also borne all recruitment costs and, through the One Channel System, we will have the details of the workers and their recruitment agents,” Hermono explained.

Last December, Indonesia extended its temporary freeze on its citizens seeking employment in Malaysia pending the inking of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to safeguard its workers seeking employment here.

The freeze was also due to soaring Covid-19 deaths of Indonesian workers in Malaysia last July and August.

That MOU was signed on April 1 this year. Indonesia is also mandated by its local law to ensure the safety and wellbeing of its citizens employed abroad.

The country’s Law on Protection of Migrant Workers (No.18/2017) compels the Indonesian government to ensure a bilateral agreement is in place if there is no adequate protection in the domestic labour laws of receiving countries. - Mkini