Elly Burhaini Faizal and Mustaqim Adamrah, Jakarta – Although the Foreign Ministry received a letter from the Saudi Arabian government halting visas for Indonesian maids, other government branches seemed to be in the dark, conducting business as usual with the kingdom.
Instead of persuading the Saudi Arabian government to enforce a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to protect the 1.5 million Indonesian maids in Saudi Arabia from torture and death, Coordinating People's Welfare Minister Agung Laksono spoke about how Indonesia's moratorium on sending workers to Saudi Arabia, in affect on Aug. 1, was temporary.
"It's only a temporary policy. Once we have improved maid protection systems that cover a large of number issues, including working conditions and occupational safety, we may revoke the moratorium," Agung said after a meeting at the ministry office.
Saudi Arabi has taken quick action against Indonesia by announcing that, as of last Saturday, they would not issue visas for Indonesian maids.
Saudi Arabian officials said that an MoU was unnecessary after the visa halt. Saudi Arabian Ministry of Labor spokesman Hattab Bin Salah Al-Anzi said last Wednesday that the kingdom would focus instead on recruiting workers from "other sources".
Human rights activists and experts expressed concern for the fate of the thousands of workers left stranded by the ban and the stalled negotiations, saying it could lead to the continued abuse of Indonesian workers already in there.
They demanded that the government compensate the stranded migrant workers, as most of them had come from poor families and spent millions of rupiah to secure jobs abroad.
On Monday, dozens of students from Samawa College and the School Students Forum (FPPMS) staged protests in Mataram, urging the government to take tougher measures to save a maid from Sumbawa – Sumartini binti Manaungi Galisung, 33 – who was facing the death penalty in Saudi Arabia.
"We urge both the central government and the local administration to quickly save Sumartini and provide adequate protection for all Indonesian migrant workers," said Syamsi Hidayat, who led the demonstration.
Experts said that Saudi Arabia had no reason to jail Sumartini binti Manaongi Gaisung and Warnah, who were both sentenced to death for practicing black magic.
In a Saudi Arabian lower court, Sumartini and Warnah were found guilty in 2010 for "bewitching" their employer's son, Tasim, by using "spells" they wrapped in fabric. The two remained in prison and faced capital punishment, although Tasim reportedly went missing for 10 days and was later found alive at home.
University of Indonesia Islamic criminal law expert Neng Djubaedah said on Monday that practicing black magic was indeed taboo, the problem was how to legally prove that black magic really inflicted something on the son of the convict's employer.
"With the return of the employer's son, do [Sumartini and Warnah] still deserve capital punishment? Moreover, with the prayers they wrapped in fabric, it's a normal practice for many Indonesians. It's not black magic," she said.
Echoing Neng, University of Indonesia Islamic criminal law expert Topo Santoso said the casualty relations between black magic and someone's death were "absurd" because there were uncertainties in the legal proceedings. The government has appealed Sumartini and Warnah's verdict and is seeking forgiveness from the employer.
[Panca Nugraha contributed to this story from Mataram.]