Regent pleads Jakarta to be lenient on migrant workers

The Jakarta Post   |  Sat, 10/04/2008 5:03 PM  |  National

As the Jakarta city administration prepares to comb the city of illegal aliens, Wonogiri Regent Begug Purnomosidi has requested leniency for migrant workers coming from his regency.

”Wonogiri is not exporter of maids,” he said. 

On Oct. 23, the city administration will conduct a massive inspection of alien citizens and send them home if they are not equipped with the necessary paperwork.

The inspection is held every year following the end of the Idul Fitri holiday season, a period where homeward-bound travelers typically bring relatives or friends from villages to work in the city.

The Jakarta Population and Civil Registration Agency estimated last week that an additional 100,000 people would accompany some 2.7 million travelers in their way back to the city this month.

Begug argued that most Wonogiri citizens working in Jakarta were equipped with certain skills that enabled them to produce something instead of just working as housemaids.

“The migrant workers contribute something to the city … They can be selling meat balls or working at a construction project,” he said while added that instead treating them as aliens, the Jakarta administration should facilitate their endeavor in the big city.

Nevertheless, Begug acknowledged that not all of the migrant workers have skills. Therefore, he said, his regency would optimize its workers workshop program. (and)
 
Comments (0)  |   Post comment
A  |   A  |   A  |   Mail to a friend  |  Printer Friendly Version |  Digg it!  |  Add to Del.icio.us!  |  Add to Reddit!  |  Stumble it!

What's On

more
Not available.
Not available.