The House Of Representatives Will Audit The Entry Of 11.700 Foreign Workers Into Indonesia, Most Of Whom Come From China

JAKARTA - Commission IX of the House of Representatives (DPR) will conduct an audit of the whereabouts of 11.700 foreign workers (TKA) who reportedly entered Indonesia in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to information, the foreigners who entered consisted of 8.700 people from China, 1.600 people from South Korea, and 1.400 people from Japan.

Deputy Chairman of Commission IX of the DPR, Emmanuel Melkiades Laka Lena, said that his party would also communicate across institutions including the Ministry of Manpower and the Ministry of Law and Human Rights and Immigration.

"We, Commission IX of DPR RI, will ensure this issue related to foreign workers. Through audits and communications with the Ministry of Manpower and the Ministry of Law and Human Rights as well to ensure that all administrative processes for the TKA are in accordance with the regulations. We will cross-check everything”, said Melki at the DPR/MPR Building, Senayan, Thursday, May 27.

Melki assessed that it is easy for foreign workers to enter Indonesia because the rules in the form of a grand design regarding foreign workers still do not exist.

"We are fighting over the issue of foreign workers because we don't have the grand design. We should have had the grand design first that regulates the cooperation related to foreign workers between investors and the government. Only then did the foreign workers enter Indonesia”, he explained.

According to him, although the reasons for the entry of the foreign workers were for the benefit of the government's strategic projects, it must also be accompanied by a grand design regarding the work functions of the foreign workers.

"So that there is certainty about the full presence of these foreign workers as professional workers with clear accreditation categories", said the Golkar Party politician.

Previously, the Minister of Manpower (Menaker) Ida Fauziyah said the number of foreign workers (TKA) from China who entered Indonesia reached 8.700 people until May 18, 2021. According to her, the large number of foreign workers was due to the large investment in the bamboo curtain country.

"I think this is directly proportional to the investment that comes in from China. If you look at the investment that enters Indonesia, a lot of it comes from China, it is directly proportional to the foreign workers stationed in Indonesia", she said in a joint meeting with Commission IX, Monday, May 24.

Ida said the Ministry of Manpower (Kemnaker) had issued work permits to 15.760 foreign workers from January to May 18, 2021. Apart from China, foreign workers from other countries who were busy entering Indonesia were South Korea, 1.600, and Japan, 1.400.