Indonesia to Temporarily Halt Sending New Migrant Workers to Malaysia

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – The Indonesian government has decided to temporarily stop sending more migrant workers to Malaysia after the latter has violated the bilateral agreement on labor issues, the country’s envoy said on Thursday, July 14.

“Malaysia keeps recruiting Indonesian domestic workers through their Maid Online system, which is against the MoU [memorandum of understanding] signed [by the two countries] on April 1,” Indonesia’s Ambassador to Malaysia Hermono told Kompas.com.

The direct hiring platform makes it hard for the Indonesian government to monitor the placement process, including the name of the employer and the salary. In the agreement between the two countries, however, Malaysia agreed to follow the One Channel System for the recruitment process, which is owned by Indonesia. But, it did not happen.

“We don’t know whether the requirements have been fulfilled because we can’t monitor the hiring process via Maid Online system. We don’t even know who the employers are,” the envoy said.

Also read: Over 7,000 Indonesian Migrant Workers in Malaysia Waiting for Repatriation

The agreements between both countries include that one maid can only work in a household with not more than six people.

The issue of Indonesia’s temporary halt in sending migrant workers to Malaysia is being addressed by officials at the Foreign Affairs Ministry on Thursday.

Hermono said the suspension will be lifted by the Indonesian government if Malaysia will follow the agreements.

“We will reopen [workers’ placement] once Malaysia is committed to fully respecting and implementing the terms of the agreement,” the envoy said.

The agreement on migrant workers