Indonesia, Malaysia Agree to Reopen Migrant Worker Placement in August

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Indonesia and Malaysia have agreed to reopen the placement of Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) in Malaysia in August 2022 following the signing of a joint statement on PMI placement and protection in Malaysia’s domestic sector, State News Antara reported. 

The signing was conducted by the Indonesian Minister of Manpower Ida Fauziyah and Malaysian Minister of Human Resources, M. Sarayanan Murugan in Jakarta on Thursday, July 28, after the first Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting.

“Both parties agreed to resume PMI recruitment and placement in Malaysia from August 1, 2022, depending on the effectiveness of the commitment implemented in the MoU [memorandum of understanding],” Fauziyah said in a written statement.

She said the JWG meeting acknowledged several issues in terms of policies and technicalities that affected the implementation of the other MoU signed in April 2022.

Also read: Malaysia Seeks Quick Resolution in Migrant Worker Recruitment from Indonesia

Hence, the two parties had mutually agreed on using the One Channel System (OCS) to place PMI in Malaysia.

OCS will be the only mechanism used to place and recruit PMI by integrating the online system managed by the Indonesian representative in Malaysia and the online system managed by the Malaysian Immigration Department, the minister said. The process was conducted in full compliance with the agreed terms and conditions as stipulated in the MoU.

Fauziyah emphasized that pilot projects should also be carried out and implemented three months before the full implementation of the OCS system to ensure the smooth application of the integrated system.

Indonesia and Malaysia also recognize the importance of fighting human trafficking and remain committed to involving related stakeholders in their respective countries to establish real bilateral cooperation.

Also read: Indonesia to Temporarily Halt Sending New Migrant Workers to Malaysia

“Both parties are also committed to facilitating cooperation between social security institutions in Malaysia and Indonesia to strengthen protection for PMI,” the minister stated.

Earlier, the Indonesian manpower minister had temporarily halted the placement of PMI in Malaysia due to the country’s violation in using another placement channel called the online maid system (MSO) which was not following the agreement between the two countries.

Source: State News Antara