TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian migrant workers' success stories are the exception rather than the norm. Stories of eight successful migrant workers covered in this edition are truly heartening. Ironically, however, their success is not the fruit of well-targeted government policies. Otherwise, we would hear many more of such stories.

Our migrant workers currently estimated at 6.5 million in number have made an extraordinary contribution to the economy. Annually, around 400,000 workers leave for neighboring Malaysia, and last year alone, they sent back home some Rp119 trillion. This number is smaller compared to that of the Philippines which annually deploys 1.8million migrant workers, who repatriate about Rp130 trillion.

It is high time the government makes serious efforts to develop this sector as one of the major economic development drivers. Remittances sent by the workers are a critical source of foreign income for the state. Hundreds of trillion of rupiah in foreign currencies injected by millions of migrant workers to the state's financial system have contributed to a resilient economy capable of weathering global financial crises.

The Manpower Ministry and the National Agency for Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI) should, therefore, offer all-out assistance to citizens who want to seek livelihoods overseas in the midst of limited or no employment opportunities at home. A moratorium on placement of migrant workers is clearly not the way to help them.

But first, it is imperative that the government ensure sufficient training for prospective workers to equip them with the necessary skills to communicate and work in a foreign environment. More importantly, the workers must fully understand their obligations and rights described in their work contracts. Their protection should be the government's main concern, given that past overseas placement of our workers have often been mired in problems, such as illegal fees and document falsification. Not seldom, job seekers also fall victim to human traffickers. All these dirty practices must be rooted out and stopped.

The government can start overhauling the system by first finalizing the revision of the migrant worker placement and protection Law No.39/2004 which has been shelved many times. Activists supporting migrant workers have been pushing policymakers to improve the regulations, so they are in line with the international convention on the protection of migrant workers' rights. The government and parliament (DPR) need to ascertain that the revised law offers comprehensive protection to these saviors of our economy, as they deserve to be. The manpower ministry and BNP2TKI must also work together for the sake of the workers' interests.

It is not too late for us to learn from the Philippines which is known for consistently and vigorously fighting for its migrant workers. Its migrant protection agency, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, has offices in more than 16 countries actively assisting its troubled citizens abroad. Their regulations strictly stipulate that the state may send migrant workers only if the workers' dignity and rights are guaranteed.

Our migrant workers should not be hailed merely as 'foreign exchange heroes'. The government must seriously acknowledge them by ensuring they get comprehensive services, especially their maximum protection. Otherwise, calling them heroes will be nothing more than idle jargon. (*)

Read the full story in this week’s edition of Tempo English Magazine