Like MSME Capital, Riau Islands DPRD Encourages Interest-free Loans For Workers To Japan

KEPRI - Member of DPRD Riau Islands Province (Kepri) Wahyu Wahyudin hopes that the labor program to Japan will be encouraged by capital loans with zero percent interest. He asked the provincial government to cooperate with banks to realize this.

According to him, the Riau Islands Provincial Government can make these regulations, such as providing MSME capital loans with zero percent interest through the 2021 APBD of IDR 30 billion.

"The capital loan will be used for visa processing, transportation, accommodation to the cost of training programs and strengthening skills to work in Japan, the total of which reaches tens of millions of rupiah," said Wahyudin, in Tanjungpinang, Friday, March 25, quoted from Antara.

Wahyudin said that the capital loan will be repaid after they officially work in Japan. The payment system can use an auto-debit scheme, with this labor recruitment company being able to work with one of the banks in Japan.

"So, every month the balance of their salaries (workers) is immediately deducted by the bank, to pay off the capital loan," he said again.

The legislator in charge of education and people's welfare stated that a capital loan with zero percent interest would not harm the Riau Islands Provincial Government. Precisely with the program of sending workers to Japan, it can overcome unemployment and poverty which are classified as high in this area.

"The family living standards of our workers in Japan will certainly increase, because every month they must send money to their hometowns," he also said.

He said that at least Japan needs 450 thousand foreign workers for the fields of health, agriculture, hospitality, and kitchen. The salaries earned by Riau Islands workers in Japan range from Rp. 20 million to Rp. 25 million per month.

The number of workers to Japan is not limited, as long as they meet the minimum age requirement of 20 years and a maximum of 36 years. In addition, prospective workers are also required to pass a test before being accepted to work in Japan.

"At the very least, Riau Islands can send 1,000 workers to Japan," he said.

Therefore, Wahyudin hopes that the local government can support the local manpower placement program to Japan, considering that several regions on the island of Java have already sent a lot of their workers to Japan.

This program, he also said, is a form of cooperation between the Governments of Indonesia and Japan in terms of employment.

"Residents, especially high school/vocational high school graduates in Riau Islands, are very enthusiastic to work in Japan, but many are constrained by capital. Therefore, the government's role is highly expected, because this is also an investment in human resources," said Wahyudin.