The MoU was officially signed by Manpower Minister Ida Fauziyah and Malaysian Human Resources Minister Saravanan Murugan and witnessed by President Joko Widodo and Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob at the Merdeka Palace here on Friday.
"Why is this MoU so important? This MoU has been negotiated since six years, and with this MoU, we expect that the protection of Indonesian migrant workers working in the domestic sector in Malaysia can be (optimized)," Minister Retno Marsudi noted in an interview after the event, broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat's official YouTube channel on Friday.
She accompanied President Jokowi while welcoming Prime Minister Yaakob and his delegation during a visit to the Merdeka Palace.
The MoU signed this time regulates the implementation of a one channel system for the entire process of placing, monitoring, and sending back Malaysia's domestic sector migrant workers.
"Hence, we also expect that the bad cases that plague Indonesian domestic workers in Malaysia can be drastically reduced," Minister Retno Marsudi stated.
The foreign minister also explained that this MoU was a good start for the Indonesia-Malaysia cooperation to continue to bolster the commitment to providing equal protection to all Indonesian migrant workers employed in several other sectors.
The foreign affairs minister emphasized that the MoU carries the best interests of both countries, considering the fact that Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia had contributed greatly to the economy of Malaysia.
Related news: RI-Malaysia finalise MoU on protection of migrant domestic workers
Based on reports from the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, in 2021, some 206 complaints were received of unpaid salaries for migrant workers in Malaysia. Meanwhile, in the first two months, the Indonesian Embassy had received reports of 16 cases of those who had yet to receive their salaries in Malaysia.
At a press conference with President Jokowi following the meeting, the Malaysian prime minister stated that his country had also ratified the ILO Protocol 29 as a commitment to eradicating forced labor practices.
The Malaysian prime minister's entourage comprised Minister of Communications and Multimedia Annuar Musa, Minister of Development of Disadvantaged Regions Mahdzir Khalid, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Kamarudin Jaffar, and Member of Parliament Tajuddin Abdul Rahman.
Related news: Indonesian ambassador proposes moratorium on sending domestic workers to Malaysia
Translator: Gilang Galiartha, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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