Dessy Sagita & Zaky Pawas, Jakarta – Amid the furor over the abuse of Indonesian maids abroad, questions are being raised over which government body is ultimately responsible for the safety and well-being of migrant workers.
Policies relating to migrant workers are introduced by the Manpower and Transmigration Agency and implemented by the National Board for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Overseas Workers (BNP2TKI).
However, board Chairman Muhammad Jumhur Hidayat said even though he was aware that many people expect the body to issue policies on the protection of migrant workers, his hands were tied.
"I do have a lot ideas on how to protect migrant workers, including setting up a monitoring body, and I have conveyed them repeatedly to the authorities, but it's beyond my power to implement them," he said.
He added that the BNP2TKI was established only to implement policies issued by the government and therefore had no right to draft regulations.
"With limited authority, the BNP2TKI basically just does whatever we're told to do," he said. "Most of the time there's some confusion because we don't know the extent of our responsibility. I don't even know which powers we are allowed to use."
Ribka Tjiptaning Proletariati, chairwoman of House of Representatives Commission IX overseeing labor affairs, said no one was willing to take the blame for the lack of protection of migrant workers.
"When it comes to sending maids overseas, everyone wants to be in charge, but when complications arise, they say [addressing the problems] is not within their authority," Ribka, from the Indonesian Democratic party of Struggle (PDI-P), said on Tuesday.
She called on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to meet with the BNP2TKI and Manpower Ministry heads and order them to work together to address migrant worker issues.
However, Roostiawati, subdirectorate head of foreign cooperation at the migrant worker placement directorate of the Manpower and Transmigration Minister, denied that the ministry and the BNP2TKI were trading the blame for the lack of protection. "There's no such passing of the buck," she said. "We're both government institutions."
She added that the ministry consistently coordinated with the BNP2TKI on any new policies, because the latter was responsible for implementing them. "Our system is integrated, so there's no dispute between us and the BNP2TKI," Roostiawati said.
Meanwhile, Jakarta Police Chief Insp. Gen. Sutarman said he would crack down on placement agencies, also known as PJTKI, that sent workers abroad without training them properly.
Authorized placement agencies are mandated to provide prospective migrant workers with necessary training. "If they plan to send them to the Middle East, then they should teach them Arabic beforehand," he said.
In other news, North Jakarta Police said they had seized a boat carrying 36 people who were believed to be heading to Singapore and Malaysia to work illegally.
Detective Chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Irwan Anwar said two brokers, identified as Arifin and Darta, had been arrested. He said the suspects claimed to be sending the workers to Bangka Belitung, but the North Jakarta office of the Manpower and Transmigration Agency has flagged the incident as a suspected cross-border people smuggling attempt.