Kirana will follow up on the proposal by sending a letter to Indonesian Minister of Manpower Hanif Dhakiri in accordance with official procedures to implement a moratorium on sending domestic workers to Malaysia.
"If President Joko Widodo approves this proposal, we can implement this policy through proper procedure and diplomacy," he said after a meeting with Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia (KJRI) in Kuching Johar Gultom, KJRI Consulate in Kota Kinabalu Akhmad D. H. Irfan, and KJRI Consulate in Tawau Krisna Djelani accompanied by Deputy Ambassador Andreano Erwin in Sabah, Thursday.
The moratorium is being issued mainly due to salary deductions ranging from 300 to 400 Malaysian ringgit for six months made by agents against domestic workers.
According to Kirana, if the salary deductions continue, it will affect the workers performance and their welfare.
Problems related to domestic workers are more likely to affect bilateral relations between Indonesia and Malaysia as compared to issues of formal workers.
Taking this fact into account, Kirana emphasized that Indonesia should send its formal labor force to avoid problems in future.
According to data from KJRI Kuala Lumpur, some 70 complaints are lodged daily by domestic workers. As of August 2017, some 230 thousand Indonesians worked in Malaysias domestic sector.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2017
