Jakarta Globe, Dec 01, 2014
President
Joko Widodo has announced he will cancel the identification card,
known as
KTKLN, for Indonesian migrant workers due to allegations of
extortion. (AFP
Photo/Philippe Lopez)
|
Jakarta.
President Joko Widodo has announced Indonesia’s migrant workers identification
card program will be scrapped due to numerous cases of alleged extortion.
Joko,
popularly known as Jokowi, made the decision after speaking with Indonesian
migrant workers in eight countries during a teleconference on Sunday.
An
Indonesian migrant worker in Brunei Darussalam told Joko that the
identification card, known as KTKLN, was a “burden” mentally and materially.
“We want
the KTKLN program to be erased, not just revised or replaced with other similar
cards,” the worker told the president, as quoted by news portal Tribunnews.com.
“We want it to be scrapped.”
Upon
hearing the request, Joko reportedly told Nusron Wahid, the newly appointed
chief of the Agency for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant
Workers (BNP2TKI), to cancel the program.
“I have
decided to scrap the KTKLN program. We’ll revoke it.” Joko was quoted as saying
by Tribunnews.com.
Launched in
2007, the card aims to identify that the worker to whom it belonged had
completed the proper procedure to work abroad. The full implementation of the
card, however, began in 2011.
The card,
which was introduced free-of-charge, also works as a security instrument before
and after the holder is given an assignment.
However,
there have been numerous reports by Indonesian migrant workers who claim they
have had to pay huge amounts of cash in order to obtain the card — pointing to
exploitation by officials.
President Joko Widodo leads the “E-Blusukan” with Indonesian Migrant Workers (TKI) that are stationed in 8 differents parts of the world. |
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