Marchio Irfan Gorbiano, Jakarta – The government expects that the rumors of an influx of foreign workers at Central Sulawesi's Morowali Industrial Park would be laid to rest after journalists investigating the story uncovered facts that negated the rumors.
"Yes, there are foreign workers here [Morowali Industrial Park], but do they number in the millions? No," Bisnis Indonesia journalist David Eka Setiabudi said on Tuesday by video conference to a meeting at the President's Jakarta office.
Data at developer PT Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP) shows that only 10.9 percent of the 28,568 workers employed at the industrial park, or 3,121 people, are foreign nationals, while the remaining 25,447 are local workers.
Manpower Minister Hanif Dhakiri, who also attended the meeting, said the journalists' findings should put an end to the controversy surrounding the issue of foreign workers in Morowali.
He said that many parties, including lawmakers and manpower officials, had provided similar testimonies following their visit to the industrial park.
Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko concurred with Hanif, expressing his hope that the rumors would "not be exploited for the political interests" of certain parties.
Hanif added that foreign workers in Indonesia were expected to provide knowledge and skills transfers to local workers to improve their competence. (bbn)