Jokowi Eyes MoU in Economic Sector with Malaysia

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi said President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo planned to draft a partnership agreement or MoU in the economic sector with Malaysia.

Earlier today, April 1, the latter signed a deal on the protection of Indonesian migrant workers with Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Sri Ismail Sabri Yaakob at the Merdeka Palace, Central Jakarta.

“Hopefully, we will cooperate with Malaysia in other sectors such as the domestic sector, the construction sector, services, cultivation, and so on,” said Retno in a statement, Friday, April 1.

During the meeting, Retno said Sabri submitted the ambassador's proposal to Indonesia. However, the President said that the process for nominating an ambassador must go through the parliament.

“So we are waiting for the process from the parliament and inshallah, it will be completed in the near future,” Retno added.

The MoU on the protection of Indonesian migrant workers regulates the use of a one-channel system for the entire process of placing, monitoring, and returning workers. Jokowi hoped that through the deal, migrant workers will get their maximum rights and protection from both countries.

Retno added that the MoU had been negotiated with the Malaysian government for the past six years. “We hope that bad cases that afflict Indonesian workers in Malaysia will be drastically dropped,” said the minister.

Read: 22 Indonesians Detained for Entering Malaysia Illegally

M JULNIS FIRMANSYAH