Equated With Export Commodities, The Ministry Of P2MI Is Considered To Have Stepped On The Dignity And Rights Of Migrant Workers

Illustration: Photo: Doc. ANTARA

JAKARTA - Coordinator of the Indonesian Migrant Workers Communication Forum (FKPMI), Dato Zainul Arifin assessed that the upload of social media accounts of the Ministry of Protection for Indonesian Migrant Workers (KemenP2MI) related to exports of labor services is unethical and injures human values.

"Migrant workers are not export commodities. Eating humans with merchandise is a form of expansion of dignity and human rights," he said in a written statement, Sunday, July 20, 2025.

Although the move to expand job opportunities abroad is recognized as very important, Zainul said that the government's approach should be more humane and just.

According to him, cooperation between countries must be built on the basis of mutual respect, not packaged in the framework of exporting labor services.

Therefore, he questioned the urgency of signing a cooperation between the Ministry of P2MI and the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce which is considered to obscure the function of protection and place PMI in the context of trade scope.

"Why isn't the PMI placement company association partnered with? There are five official associations that have been authorized. Kadin is a trading room, not a PMI protector," added Zainul.

He asked the Ministry of P2MI and the Ministry of Trade to immediately clarify the plans and narratives and encourage President Prabowo Subianto and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to review the foreign employment policy approach.

"Don't repeat past mistakes. PMI is the nation's ambassador, not a trading object," said Zainul.

Previously, the IG of the Ministry of P2MI account on Wednesday, July 16 uploaded a plan to export labor services through the Trade Ministry's trade mission to Europe in the Gamescom series in Germany, August 21-22, 2025.

In the upload, the Ministry of P2MI informed about collaboration with the Ministry of Trade in an overseas trade mission which is planned to be held in August or September 2025.

Deputy Minister of P2MI Christina Aryani said this collaboration was a strategic step to expand Indonesia's service exports, in particular opening up market access to the placement of migrant workers to a number of countries in Europe.

According to him, later there will be a business meeting to a presentation related to potential in any sector that could be an opportunity for migrant workers from Indonesia to fill.

Currently, the focus of the Ministry of P2MI is countries that have requests for migrant workers from Indonesia. Mainly countries with labor regulations with requirements that can be met by Indonesian migrant workers. Such as the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Greece and Germany," said the statement in the upload of the Ministry of P2MI account.