"There are so many who have withdrawn their intention to go home for fear that if they go home, they cannot return because they do not bring e-KTKLN as the requirement," Yulia, a PMI who has worked in Singapore for 14 years, said when contacted from Batam, Riau Islands, on Friday.
Many migrant workers with work permits in Singapore do not have e-KTKLNs because it is an old rule, she added.
Law 18 of 2017 on PMI Protection no longer mandates identity cards such as e-KTKLNs, but the government is still enforcing it by referring to Law 39 of 2004, which is no longer valid, she pointed out.
PMI in Singapore also face difficulty making e-KTKLNs because they can only be issued in Indonesia after the workers’ employment contract is verified by the Indonesian Embassy.
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However, during the pandemic, this verification service was halted by the Indonesian Embassy. It had not been reopened until the end of March.
Yulia, who is a part of the regulation and case review team at Suara Kita, a PMI community in Singapore, said PMIs are worried about becoming mafia victims when they want to return to Singapore because they cannot furnish e-KTKLNs.
"This can disrupt the happiness of PMI who have received permission to return to Indonesia to meet their family and let go of the longing after two years of being held back due to the pandemic," she said.
"I know, the intention of e-KTKLN is to provide identity to PMI candidates. But if we have obtained a work placement and hold a work permit that is enough proof to return to Singapore," Yulia remarked.
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Translator: Yuniati N, Kenzu T
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2022
