By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Jan 27: Sarawak and Indonesia are stepping up cooperation to protect migrant workers, fast-track their deployment, and improve the welfare of their children and families.
Minister of Food Industry, Commodity and Regional Development Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom commended Indonesian workers for their strong performance and productivity in the plantation sector.
“I told the minister that the quality and productivity of Indonesian workers are unmatched. They are very efficient and highly skilled. That is why we want to continue improving the recruitment system and their welfare so this cooperation can continue,” he said during a courtesy visit with Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department (Labour, Immigration and Project Monitoring) Datuk Gerawat Gala to Indonesia’s Minister for the Protection of Migrant Workers (P2MI) Mukhtarudin at the P2MI office in South Jakarta today.
The discussion focused on strengthening protection and placement mechanisms for some 145,000 Indonesian migrant workers in Sarawak, covering all levels of the palm oil industry, from plantations to downstream operations.
Mukhtarudin said both sides had agreed on a coordinated approach to curb non-procedural migrant worker deployment and to establish a task force for strict supervision.
Both parties also agreed to fast-track procedures by shortening worker placement and verification to 21 days and work visa issuance to 20 days.
“We will match the skills required in Sarawak with the training or skills upgrading provided here.
“Once migrant workers complete their training, they will already have confirmed placements because the data is synchronised.
“This forms part of the implementation of President Prabowo Subianto’s Quick Win programme to place 500,000 migrant workers in 2026,” he said.
Dr Rundi noted that humanitarian aspects, including education for the children of migrant workers, were highlighted, alongside Sarawak’s labour demand across both upstream and downstream sectors.
“We view this cooperation within the framework of kinship in Borneo and ASEAN. Sarawak has a small population but a large land area, so synergy with Indonesia is crucial for the economic growth of both regions,” he said.
He added that he had previously visited Manado and Makassar to assess the potential for recruiting migrant workers. — DayakDaily
