The National Mandate Party (PAN) politician said the government must release Rita from the death penalty by means of legal assistance and diplomatic advocacy channels between Indonesia and Malaysia.

Saleh said Rita's case is not the first against an Indonesian working overseas.

"We need to ensure that the government can have enough precedence to free Rita from execution," he said in a written sentence Tuesday, May 31, 2016.

Saleh said that migrant workers like Rita often become victims of drug-trafficking syndicates. That's why, he said, Rita's case require serious attention from the government.

"These types of patterns are a trend in the drugs business," he said.

Saleh said Indonesia has an institution that specifically deals with Indonesian working abroad; the Agency of Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI). A number of ministries like the Labor Ministry, the Foreign Affairs Ministry, and The Social Affairs Ministry are also involved in labor issues.

"We need to maximize the potentials that these institutions have," he said.

Rita Krisnawati, 27 years old, was given the death sentence by the Penang High Court yesterday, May 30. Her case began in 2013 when she was arrested at a Malaysian airport for carrying 4 kilograms of meth.

Anis Hidayah, executive director of the Migrant Care, urges the government to file an appeal for Rita to have a lighter sentence. Anis said that Migrant Care has also been working to provide legal assistance to Rita during her court proceeding.

ARKHELAUS W