"We have already filed a budget increase request with the DPR (House of Representatives) Commission XI and the Finance Ministry," he informed here on Monday.
He said he expects that, in 2023, all parties can provide a strong budget to the agency as a form of political compassion.
The agency is working in accordance with the regulation with a budget of around Rp300 billion, he explained.
"Some 64 percent of the budget is spent toward employees (salaries) in three representative provinces in Indonesia," he elaborated.
Meanwhile, the agency is managing around 4.4 million official migrant workers spread out across 159 countries. In addition, there are 4.6 million Indonesians who have departed unofficially to other countries, he informed.
The huge expectation and demand on the agency must be supported with strong budget support to provide protection to Indonesian migrant workers, Rhamdani said.
Earlier, Deputy Speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Lestari Moerdijat said that all parties must fight for protection and justice for Indonesian migrant workers overseas.
The fight for protection must prioritize the spirit of unity and dialogue to realize humanitarian values, she added.
The protection of citizens, including Indonesian migrant workers, must be prioritized in every part of governance, she stressed.
The protection mechanism for Indonesian migrant workers is already stipulated by Law No. 18 of 2017 on Indonesian Migrant Workers’ Protection.
This emphasizes that the protection of Indonesian migrant workers is the state's responsibility, she said.
"However, when confronting various problems that involve migrant workers, it often feels like the state is not present to protect workers," she added.
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Translator: Fauzi, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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