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s the Indonesian government looks set to lift a moratorium on sending migrant workers to Malaysia, workers’ advocate group Migrant Care is wondering whether the two countries can guarantee protection for workers.

The government issued the ban on sending workers to the neighboring country in June 2009, following reports of mistreatment and abuse of Indonesian migrant workers by their Malaysian employers.

However, the government recently decided that it would lift the moratorium on Dec. 1, after it had signed an MoU with Malaysia earlier in the year. The agreement, the government said, was a response to Malaysia’s “improving” stance on the treatment of foreign workers.

The MoU consists of clauses that regulates workers’ rights, such as the right to retain their passports, have their wages transferred via an approved bank and a minimum wage of RM 700 — basic rights, of which they were previously deprived.

On Friday, the Agency for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI) announced that around 80,000 Indonesian workers were ready to be flown to Malaysia after the lifting of the moratorium next month.

Prior to the ban, there were around 2 million Indonesians working in Malaysia, approximately half of whom worked illegally. Most of them were employed as domestic workers, while others worked in construction, on plantations and in factories.

Anis Hidayah, executive director of Migrant Care, an organization working for the protection of domestic workers, expressed skepticism at the announcement.

She praised the government for its initiative to talk, and reach an agreement, with its Malaysian counterpart regarding the issue, but raised questions on the future implementation of the MoU.

“It is good that there are improvements via the MoU, but how are they going to implement it?” she told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

She said she was not convinced that an agreement drawn up by the two governments would have any significant effect on the attitude of the tens of thousands of householders who employ Indonesian domestic workers.

The agreement, she said, would only amount to “meaningless words on a piece of paper” if it was not followed up with serious monitoring, to make sure that employers abided by the rules.

“They need to focus on monitoring, to ensure that each worker receives their holidays, their minimal wage and gets to keep their passports,” she said.

According to Anis, the government’s plan to monitor the condition of workers in Malaysia every six months was likely to be ineffective.

“That is too long. There should be a monitoring and evaluation assessment carried out at least every three months,” she said.

Another of the government’s responsibilities, Anis pointed out, was to provide new migrant workers with the best possible preparation.

“The workers themselves need sufficient education before their departure. They need to be aware of their rights and obligations, so that they are not exploited,” she said. (awd)