Build schools for Indonesians, consulate urges

The Indonesian consulate here wants employers of Indonesians in the State, especially in the plantations to build schools for their employees’ children. Its officer-in-charge, Hendro, said the Indonesian government is concerned that many of these children are not schooling due to their parents’ low income and the limited schooling facilities.

He cited the Kumana area, where there are not enough Indonesian children to warrant building a school.

“We are very concerned about the children’s education, and we will send 110 teachers over from Indonesia to educate them in July,” he told reporters here.

These teachers, he said, will replace the 120 who have returned to Indonesia after their two-year contract. Hendro also expressed dissatisfaction with the Indonesian workers’ low wages, saying some were paid only RM8 daily.

Even the minimum daily wage of RM18 for plantation workers is insufficient as they are working far away from home, he said, adding some employers are unfairly deducting between RM50 and RM100 from their workers’ monthly wages for their levy.

On another matter, Hendro also urged employers to pay their workers’ levies directly and not through agents, and to register their Indonesian workers with the consulate. The consulate, he added, will cooperate with the Immigration Department here to identify undocumented Indonesian employees.

“In Sabah, we hope Indonesian employees could also be allowed to work in other sectors like tourism besides working as plantation and construction workers and as maids,” he added. On the freeze on Indonesian maids to Malaysia, he said the move will take effect on July 15 but will not affect those maids who are already working here.

Immigration Department figures show 217,367 Indonesian workers have registered in Sabah while the consulate here has issued 5,466 passports to Indonesians between April 1 and June 8 this year, he said, adding it receives between 300 and 400 applications for immigration documents a day.

Applications, however, will be closed on July 8, when Indonesians here may vote in their national election at the consulate from 9am to 5pm. Also present were Agus Syuhada and Asrarudun Salam, who are in charge of economic and manpower affairs respectively.