Jokowi to halt sending Indonesian domestic workers overseas

Indonesian President Joko Widodo wants to stop the sending of domestic migrant workers to other countries. Jokowi said that doing menial chores abroad undermines Indonesian pride and dignity. “In the near future, we will stop the sending of domestic migrant workers. “I have instructed the manpower minister to make a clear road map and [set a timeline] to stop the programme. We must have pride and dignity,” he was quoted as saying by the Antara news agency while speaking at the People’s Conscious Party’s second National Congress in Solo, Central Java on Friday. During the event, Jokowi also said he had felt “ashamed when discussing the matter in [recent] bilateral talks with Malaysia. During his recent tour of Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam and the Philippines, Jokowi received a report which said there were 2.3 million Indonesian migrant workers worldwide, 1.2 million of whom were undocumented. The majority of these migrant workers were in Malaysia. According to the Jakarta Post, as part of the plan, the government would repatriate 1,800 migrant workers. “We have repatriated 800 workers. More will follow suit,” Jokowi said. Jokowi had also expressed his disappointment after finding out that many Indonesian migrant workers had entered Malaysia illegally.