However, his party asked the content of the regulation to be reviewed since it caused confusion regarding the categories of restrictions and their practice in the field.
Surabaya, East Java (ANTARA) - The Head of the Indonesian Migrant Worker Protection Agency (BP2MI), Benny Rhamdani, urged the government to review policies regarding the regulation of imports of goods belonging to Indonesian migrant workers (PMI).

In a statement received from his office on Saturday, Rhamdani said that the issuance of Minister of Trade Regulation Number 36 of 2023 concerning Import Policies and Regulations restricted PMI's goods from foreign countries.

"The backlog of Indonesian migrant workers' goods means that many goods did arrive in the country on time. However, it is normal for Customs and Excise colleagues to carry out this policy transition, and it takes time. In fact, Customs and Excise violates regulations if they do not implement this Minister of Trade Regulation," he remarked.

However, his party asked the content of the regulation to be reviewed since it caused confusion regarding the categories of restrictions and their practice in the field.

He is actually aware that the regulations from the Ministry of Trade and the Minister of Finance target importers with high-value goods to be resold in Indonesia.

"For example, people with tourist visas are the ones bring in luxury goods such as luxury motorbikes, modified spare parts, branded bags, and others. But in practice, it is the goods of our PMIs who got searched and seized," he conveyed.

Even though the total relaxation policy for PMI goods has not yet been realized, Rhamdani mentioned that relaxation with restrictions is the entry point for total relaxation of PMI goods.

"The regulation can be changed because it conflicts with the interest of our PMIs," he emphasized.

Meanwhile, the Head of the East Java I Customs and Excise Regional Office, Untung Basuki, agrees with Rhamdani's statement about his party only being an executor in the field, not a formulator of regulations.

According to him, Customs also wants all work processes to be smooth, including for Indonesian migrant workers.

Related news: Prevent illegal goods circulation, Customs staff urged

Translator: Willi Irawan, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Arie Novarina
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