Malaysia, Indonesia take positive, constructive approach to domestic worker issue

The understanding was reached today in a follow-up discussion by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Wisma Putra) with the Indonesian Ambassador to Malaysia Hermono to seek further clarification following several media reports quoting his statement on the issue recently.

Wisma Putra, in a statement, said any issues that arose will be channeled through the relevant ministries or government agencies.

"Such measures are important to avoid any confusion and misunderstanding among the public," it said.

According to the statement, a positive and constructive approach on the issue of domestic workers' recruitment and protection can benefit both parties and contribute to the enhancement of close and comprehensive relations between Malaysia and Indonesia.

The statement added that the discussion this time also touched on the status of negotiations between Malaysia and Indonesia concerning the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the recruitment and placement of Indonesian domestic workers, as well as the approach and direction to be taken by both parties towards concluding the negotiations and signing the MoU in the near future.

"This is to ensure that the Indonesian domestic workers' recruitment process is well managed and the issue of their protection continues to be given priority in accordance with the policy and legislation in force in both countries," he said.

According to Wisma Putra, the first discussion with the Indonesian Ambassador was held on Feb 16.

Hermono recently reportedly complained about the poor treatment of Indonesian domestic workers in Malaysia and questioned there were many such cases in the country, but almost none in neighbouring Singapore.

Meanwhile, Malaysia and Indonesia had previously agreed to implement a pilot project to recruit 10,000 Indonesian domestic workers from the neighbouring country. However, the MoU on the project has yet to be signed.