[UPDATED] Indonesia imposes temporary ban on workers entering Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR – The Human Resources Ministry will be holding talks soon with the Home Ministry regarding the decision by Indonesian authorities to temporarily halt their workers from entering Malaysia. 

In a statement today, the Human Resources Ministry said that discussions will be held “in the near future”. 

“The discussion aims to immediately address issues related to the entry of Indonesian employees into the country,” it said. 

Earlier today, Indonesian ambassador Hermono was reported to have said that his government had imposed a temporary freeze – effective yesterday – on all Indonesian workers entering Malaysia. 

He was quoted by Free Malaysia Today as saying that the decision is due to the Malaysian Immigration Department’s continued use of the Maid Online System (MOS) to facilitate the recruitment of Indonesian domestic workers. 

He also alleged that this is a “total breach” of the memorandum of understanding between the two nations signed on April 1 on the placement and protection of Indonesian domestic workers.

Under the agreement, workers are entitled to weekly and annual leave, the right to communicate, and the ability to lodge complaints via an online system.

It was also agreed that employers or agencies would no longer be able to withhold passports and are allowed only one maid per household of not more than six people.

Noting that Indonesian President Joko Widodo, better known as Jokowi, and Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob had witnessed the signing of the memorandum in Jakarta, the envoy slammed Malaysia’s refusal to adhere to the terms of the agreement as being a “disgrace”. 

“You would think that with the presence of the (Malaysian) prime minister and the (Indonesian) president, all parties would honour the memorandum, but the reality is far from it.

“Our president witnessed the memorandum, but now, what’s the point? This is a disgrace to our president,” he was quoted as saying. 

Adding that the Indonesian government had decided on the freeze yesterday after a virtual consultation session between the country’s Foreign Ministry and Manpower Ministry officials, he claimed that the MOS bypasses the One Channel System cemented in the memorandum.  

He said that this enables Indonesian workers to enter Malaysia using a tourist visa prior to applying for a work permit, a practice that Jakarta wanted to end due to the possibility of forced labour. 

Lamenting that he is “not thrilled” with the latest developments, he asserted that he felt as if he has no choice but to resort to such measures for the sake of protecting workers’ welfare. 

“We need assurances from the Malaysian government that they are going to stop using the MOS. If Malaysia gives such an assurance, we will lift the ban,” he claimed. 

While Indonesia has stopped processing fresh requests from its citizens looking to earn a living in Malaysia, previously received applications – numbering around 15,000 to 20,000 with 10,000 submissions from the plantation and manufacturing sectors – will be attended to. 

On July 1, Hermono said that Indonesia is no longer keen on sending its citizens to work as domestic helpers in Malaysia due to bad treatment and unpaid wages, adding that the nation is moving away from supplying domestic workers to Malaysia and the Middle East. – The Vibes, July 13, 2022