Revoking The Moratorium On Migrant Workers To Saudi, Commission IX Of The House Of Representatives Summons Minister Of Karding To Ask For Protection Guarantee

JAKARTA - Deputy Chairman of Commission IX of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Nihayatul Wafiroh, responded to the revocation of the moratorium on sending Indonesian Migrant Workers (PMI) to Saudi Arabia.

Nihayatul said that his party would immediately summon the Minister of Protection for Indonesian Migrant Workers (P2MI), Abdul Kadir Karding, to ensure PMI protection guarantees before departure in June 2025.

"In the near future we will schedule to summon the Minister of P2MI to ensure that PMI protection schemes before departure to Saudi Arabia. We do not want cases of domestic violence to legal cases experienced by our migrant workers while working in Saudi Arabia in the past to occur again," Nihayatul said, Wednesday, March 19.

For information, President Prabowo has approved the revocation of the moratorium on Indonesian migrant workers to Saudi Arabia. It is planned that this month there will be a signing of a cooperation agreement in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia offers job opportunities for around 600,000 migrant workers. Of that total number, 400,000 vacancies are in the domestic sector. Meanwhile, another 200,000 250,000 vacancies come from the formal sector. It is estimated that IDR 31 trillion foreign exchange will enter if it places 600,000 Indonesian migrant workers to Saudi Arabia.

The woman who is familiarly called Ninik said that the revocation of the moratorium on sending PMIs to Saudi Arabia must be carefully prepared. Moreover, according to her, until now Saudi Arabia has not ratified the Vienna convention on the Mandatey Consulee Notification (MCN) which requires them to provide wider protection for other citizens detained for legal cases.

"In addition, the One Canal Placement System (SPSK) as a result of cooperation between the governments of Indonesia and Saudi Arabia has not run optimally. Even though the digital platform is expected to provide protection to migrant workers and reduce the number of violence experienced by migrant workers," he said.

The East Java III electoral district legislator emphasized that every policy related to sending migrant workers abroad, especially to Saudi Arabia, must ensure maximum protection. He urged the government to guarantee the rights of migrant workers. Starting from the recruitment stage, training, placement, to supervision during the tenure.

"If this is not done, then the revocation of the moratorium has the potential to endanger Indonesian migrant workers in Saudi Arabia," he said.

Ninik also asked the Government of Indonesia to increase closer cooperation with the Government of Saudi Arabia in ensuring the protection and security of PMIs. Ninik assessed that Indonesia must ask for guarantees from Saudi Arabia to immediately ratify the Vienna Convention and ensure legal equality for Saudi Arabian citizens and PMI in the event of a criminal offense.

"The revocation of this moratorium must be accompanied by strict regulations and good cooperation between the Indonesian government and the government of the placement country, including Saudi Arabia," he concluded.