TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Minister for Manpower and Transmigration Hanif Dhakiri, said that foreign workers will be required to be proficient in Bahasa Indonesia in order to be allowed to work in the country.
"It's a matter of reciprocity - when we send people over to Japan, they are required to learn Japanese. The same goes in South Korea, where our workers are required to learn Korean," said Dhakiri in Bandung on Thursday, March 19, 2015. "Foreign workers who wishes to work in Indonesia also needs to be able to communicate in Bahasa Indoneisa too."
Dhakiri said that the language proficiency requirement is a part of the government's planned effort to regulate the influx of foreign workers into Indonesia. "There are two parts to our government's efforts with regards to our regulation on foreign workers - the first being our policy regarding our services for these [foreign] workers, and while the second part relates to the control and regulation of their entry conditions," explained Dhakiri.
According to Dhakiri, proficiency in Indonesian must be imposed as a requirement for foreign workers wishing to work in Indonesia. "A comprehensive understanding of our language is a must, because only by being proficient in Indonesian could these foreign workers begin to familiarise themselves with our working culture, and it will undoubtedly assist them in understanding our existing labour regulations," Minister Dhakiri said.
In addition to the plan to impose an Indonesian language proficiency requirement for foreign workers, the current administration is also planning to impose several other regulations that relates to their qualification. "This needs to be done to ensure that only those who are truly qualified to work in their respective field would be allowed to join our workforce," continued Dhakiri.
Dhakiri also promised that the government will improve the quality of its' services for foreign workers in Indonesia. "We plan to make sure that all services and assistance for foreign workers in Indonesia more accessible, simple, and efficient," he said.
AHMAD FIKRI
