I don't want (the problem) to drag on. I have asked them to solve it soon because I am afraid if we don't do that, we will have a problem with Indonesia.
Kuala Lumpur (ANTARA) - Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has instructed the Malaysian human resources and home affairs ministries to resolve the issue surrounding the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the recruitment of Indonesian migrant workers soon.



"I don't want (the problem) to drag on. I have asked them to solve it soon because I am afraid if we don't do that, we will have a problem with Indonesia," he was quoted by Bernama as saying on Friday.



He denied that the MoU will be canceled.



Indonesian Ambassador to Malaysia, Hermono, confirmed on Wednesday (July 13, 2022) that the Indonesian government had decided to temporarily stop migrant worker placements in all sectors in Malaysia.


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The decision will remain in place until Malaysia commits to halting the recruitment of Indonesian domestic help through the maid online system (SMO), he said.



Indonesian Manpower Minister Ida Fauziyah said the decision was taken since Malaysia did not comply with an agreement signed with Indonesia on April 1, 2022, on using the one-channel system (OCS) for worker recruitment.



The Indonesian mission in Malaysia found evidence of a recruitment system made outside the agreement between the two countries, she informed. The system called SMO is managed by the Malaysian Home Affairs Ministry through the Malaysian Immigration Office.



The government made its decision after the Indonesian mission found evidence showing Malaysia is still using SMO to recruit workers, director of Indonesian citizens and entities’ protection at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Judha Nugraha, said during an online media briefing on Thursday.


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Following this, the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur conveyed the decision to the Malaysian Human Resources Ministry.



"Specifically, this SMO makes our migrant workers vulnerable to exploitation because the recruitment mechanism is not based on Law No. 18/2017 on the protection of migrant workers... Consequently, our migrant workers sent to Malaysia did not pass through the legal phases," Nugraha explained.



The two countries had signed the MoU when Yaakob visited Jakarta on April 1, 2022. The agreement deals with the use of a single-channel system for recruiting, supervising, and protecting Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia.


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Translator: Virna P Setyorini, Suharto
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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