Saudi Arabia Hopes Indonesia Will Send Domestic Workers Soon

By Mohd Iswandi Kasan Anuar JAKARTA, Dec 20 (Bernama) -- Saudi Arabia is the latest country to join Malaysia in requesting the Indonesian government to send domestic workers soon. The Kingdom’s ambassador to Indonesia, Issam Al-Thaqafi, expressed hope Indonesia would resume sending workers after a hiatus of eight years. Saudi Arabia and Indonesia had concluded an agreement for the resumption of hiring Indonesian domestic workers in Feb 2014, but the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has delayed its implementation. “The concerned ministries are striving to resolve this issue as soon as possible,” Saudi Gazette quoted him as saying. The news portal noted Indonesia suspended sending housemaids to the kingdom and other countries in the region in 2011 following execution of a maid who was convicted of killing her Saudi employer. Reports in Indonesian media said the ban was imposed after the kingdom executed its citizen without notifying her family or the government. Since then, Indonesia’s Ministry of Manpower has worked closely with other government agencies on tightening all regulations concerning overseas domestic work. Early this month, Malaysian Human Resources Minister M. Saravanan met his Indonesian counterpart Ida Fauziyah in Jakarta, and both ministers had committed to complete the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the Recruitment and Protection of Indonesian Domestic Workers (PDI) early next year. Saravanan also held discussions with Malaysian companies in Indonesia to exchange views on good practices on the management of migrant workers in the plantation sector. On the plantation industry's need for 32,000 foreign workers, Saravanan said Indonesia would only allow the entry of its workforce into Malaysia after the MoU of PDI was signed. MATRADE Trade Commissioner in Jakarta, Har Man Ahmad told Bernama: “It will be very difficult for the industry now because of an acute shortage of manual harvesters.” He said labour shortage in the oil palm industry had caused low output in harvesting and collection of fresh fruit bunch. The shortage of workers in these activities amounted to 25,471 as of August 2021. The estimated loss caused by the shortage of manpower in harvesting is huge, amounting to billions of ringgit, he said, adding that the issue must be managed fast enough to meet the industry's needs. On Sunday, Malaysia and Bangladesh sealed an MoU on the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers, effective for five years until December 2026. The MoU was signed by Saravanan and his Bangladesh counterpart, Imran Ahmad in Putrajaya (the federal administrative capital of Malaysia). -- BERNAMA