The hope is that an exemption of fees for Indonesian migrant workers who depart legally will become a commitment of the government...
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Head of the Indonesian Migrant Workers' Protection Agency (BP2MI), Benny Rhamdani, has expressed the hope that the future government will pay greater attention to issues concerning Indonesian migrant workers, including the subject of fees.

"The hope is that an exemption of fees for Indonesian migrant workers who depart legally will become a commitment of the government, whoever the president is," he said on the sidelines of a send-off event for migrant workers due to leave for South Korea. The event was held in Jakarta on Monday.

Rhamdani added that Indonesian migrant workers are competent people who seize work opportunities abroad and contribute to the decline in the unemployment rate in Indonesia.

"The state must be grateful that there are nation's children who think to not only work in Indonesia, but also abroad," he remarked.

He added that Article 27, paragraph 2, of the 1945 Constitution states that every citizen has the right to work and earn a decent living.

"The state must provide facilities (for Indonesian migrant workers) by waiving placement fees, BPJS (state insurance program) insurance fees, (fees for) transportation, visas, medical check-ups, and flight tickets for them to travel to the placement country," he said.

The state must be able to make those efforts because Indonesian migrant workers are among the biggest contributors to foreign exchange, he added.

"If there are 270 thousand Indonesian migrant workers who depart every year, the state only spends Rp8.2 trillion (around US$523.42 million). Meanwhile, Indonesian migrant workers contribute Rp159.6 trillion (around US$10.18 billion) in foreign exchange to the country," he highlighted.

He informed that the send-off event on Monday was held for 266 Indonesian migrant workers who are scheduled to work in South Korea under a government-to-government scheme.

According to him, 114 of the workers will work in the manufacturing sector, while the rest will be engaged in the fisheries sector.

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Translator: Zubi Mahrofi, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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