NTB Manpower And Transmigration Office Keeps Watching The Case Of The Sinking PMI Ship In Batam

Head of the Manpower and Transmigration Service (Disnakertrans) West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), I Gede Putu Aryadi (right) accompanied by the Head of BP2MI NTB Abri Danar Prabawa (left) / ANTARA

MATARAM - Head of the West Nusa Tenggara Manpower and Transmigration Agency (Disnakertrans) I Gede Putu Aryadi said his party ensured that they would continue to oversee the case of the sinking of a ship carrying Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) in Batam waters.

"Regarding the speed boat accident case in Batam is still being monitored. Even to get the latest information, we have a network of the Sasak community in Batam," he said, at a working meeting with Commission V DPRD NTB with Manpower and Transmigration Office, BP2MI, labor associations in NTB , APJATI and APPMI in order to discuss the PMI issue in the meeting room of the Commission V DPRD of the Province of NTB in Mataram, reported by Antara, Tuesday, June 28.

According to information, there were 30 NTB residents who were victims of the speed boat accident, even though the boat's capacity was only for 15 people.

"They went to Batam like residents who wanted to go for a walk. So, they were not equipped with documents. One of the perpetrators, including the missing victim in this speed boat accident," said Gede Aryadi.

Gede Aryadi said this case was initially handled by the Riau Islands TNI officers, but was later handed over to the BP2MI shelter in Riau Islands. Of the 23 survivors, 21 are in good health and two need treatment.

"This case is handled by the Riau Islands Police and the data is backed up by the NTB Police and is ready to provide the information needed by the Riau Islands Police. The repatriation process can only be carried out after there is a bright spot in the legal process," he said.

Based on observations, he said, the high number of PMI cases that were not procedural recently was because since 2020 or since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the placement of the Malaysian state was closed. Even in 2021 Malaysia will repatriate thousands of PMI from NTB.

In addition, according to Gede Aryadi, differences in regulations in a number of placement countries have an influence on the high number of cases of unprocedural placement. The existence of a visa conversion policy that applies in several placement countries is used by brokers/tekongs.

"Usually PMIs who are not procedural leave using a visit visa, Umrah visa or asylum visa and then upon arrival at the country of placement, with the visa conversion policy, they get a work visa and a residence permit, so it becomes legal according to the rules in that country. But they don't get protection Even the PMI doesn't know the contents of the work agreement, because everything is handled by the TIP mafia," he said.

According to him, CPMI departing non-procedurally using a visit visa, do not need village recommendations, the Manpower and Transmigration Office, let alone services at LTSA. They just need to take care of the passport visit at the Immigration.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has appealed to the country of placement regarding this visa conversion policy. But in fact we cannot intervene in the policies of other countries," he said.

He said, if you traced it to the village, usually the village head did not know that his residents were PMI. In his report, Gede revealed that the role of district/city governments is very important, especially in villages and hamlets, in educating their citizens not to go through unprocedural routes.

Therefore, the NTB Provincial Government appreciates East Lombok Regency which has formed a team consisting of P3MI and associations in socializing job opportunities abroad.

"I see that East Lombok has started to get orderly. We hope that in the future we will be supported by additional job introduction officials in districts/cities, because information on overseas job opportunities must be submitted by appropriate and competent officials," said the former Head of Communications and Information Technology of NTB.

Meanwhile, Head of BP2MI NTB Abri Danar Prabawa revealed that from 2007 to February 2022 there were 535,000 PMI NTB working abroad.

If translated by district, the first position is occupied by East Lombok with a total PMI of 235 thousand. Followed by Central Lombok approximately 146 thousand. Of the 108 placement countries, Malaysia is the largest with around 77 percent, followed by Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Brunei Darussalam, and followed by the United Arab Emirates.

"The portraits of NTB migrant workers whose placements in Malaysia are indeed the most work as field workers with a total of 41 thousand. Then there are 638 construction workers. This number is very unequal when compared to those who work in the fields. Then followed by ART (housemaid) workers. For the three positions, we agree that the positions are no-skill," said Abri.

He explained that in 2021 the PMI repatriated were 26,996, the most from Malaysia. Whereas before the pandemic, on average every year there were around 20 thousand PMIs who were sent with almost 90 percent of their placements to Malaysia. This is one of the causes of many PMI accidents lately.

Abri said that from BP2MI's data in 2021-2022, there were four unprocedural PMI accidents with 100 percent of accidents going to Malaysia.

The good news, according to him, is that in the first semester of this year, the results of the prevention of illegal PMI departures carried out by BP2MI were 187 people with the most departure destinations being to Saudi Arabia, mostly women. This figure is up 100 percent from last year's 68 people. Meanwhile, from the Manpower Office itself, 54 people have been prevented so far. Most CPMI origins are from Central Lombok, East Lombok and Sumbawa.

The cause of many cases that occur is due to unprocedural departures. This raises many other problems, such as in the Middle East there are often problems with PMIs not being paid, tortured, or treated inhumanely. In Malaysia, the cause of most cases is PMI overstay.

In addition, there are also other problems, namely when PMI has problems in the country of placement, the problem has not been resolved but PMI has been sent home. Even though the problem should have been resolved first in that country because the government has provided legal defenders there.

"Like the latest case of PMI from West Sumbawa, she reported to her husband that she was tortured and was not paid. When we were going to investigate, suddenly she arrived in Jakarta. Her employer has already sent her home. This makes it difficult for us to get their rights," said Abri.

That is why the domestic sector for households to Saudi Arabia from 2015 until now has not been opened by the government. But even so, there are still many NTB residents who want to go to Saudi as ART.

An example of yesterday's case was 24 illegal CPMI people who were prevented from being 100 percent of NTB residents who were promised to go to Saudi Arabia. A few days later, seven illegal CPMI people from Bima were also prevented from going to Saudi Arabia as well.

"Why don't they want to follow the procedure because most of them don't have the competence. On average, their education is only elementary school graduates. Even though being a procedural PMI is very easy, especially to Malaysia. Recently, Malaysian companies have visited NTB, revealing that they need our PMI," said Abri.

Therefore, the NTB Provincial Government through the NTB Provincial Manpower and Transmigration Office and BP2MI have coordinated with the BLK, so that the illegal CPMIs who were sent home yesterday are given competency training so that they are ready to be sent as procedural PMIs.

In Law Number 18 of 2017 concerning the Protection of PMIs, the duties and roles of each government have been divided from the central government to the village government. Therefore, all parties need to make joint efforts to maximize PMI protection.

Abri explained that PMI placement consists of three processes, pre-placement, placement, and post-placement. Most of the problems occurred in the pre-placement process. Because in this pre-process, PMI faced a lot of persuasion, so that document falsification and illegal departures could occur.

"Therefore, the first thing that must be done is to eradicate the syndicate, brokers, mafia, tekong and these irresponsible elements. Regarding this syndicate of brokers, we must act decisively," he said.

"Speaking of PMI problems, it seems like it's never been resolved. However, a solution must be found to save NTB residents who basically have lofty aspirations, namely to become PMI because they want to improve the family economy," said Chairman of Commission V DPRD NTB, Lalu Hadrian Irfani.