Jakarta Globe, 21 Aug 2015
Jakarta.
President Joko Widodo will drop a regulation that would require foreign workers
to take an Indonesian language proficiency test, as part of his effort to brush
up the country’s investment appeal.
The
president has instructed his aides to eliminate all regulatory barriers in the
central and regional administration that could hampers investment, cabinet
secretary Pramono Anung said on Friday.
“It was
asked specifically by the president to drop the Indonesian language proficiency
requirement for foreign workers... to ensure the flow of investment,” he said.
Under a
2009 law on national language, the flag and national symbols, all locally-based
businesses are required to use Indonesian as their main language of
communication. The law also requires foreigners working in the country to take
Indonesian language lessons.
A 2013
manpower ministry regulation requires foreign workers “to be able to communicate
in Indonesian," but stops short of defining the level of proficiency they
would need to achieve in order to secure working permit.
Manpower
Minister Hanif Dhakiri had proposed in January to require all foreign workers
to pass a standardized test for Indonesian language in order protect domestics
jobs from a potential inflow of workers from neighboring countries as the
Association of Southeast Asian Nation's Economic Community becomes effective
next year.
The
proposal met strong opposition from foreign and local investors alike, who were
quick to point out that the severe lack of Indonesian study centers for
foreigners would hamper their search for highly skilled workers, who they say
are crucial for their businesses.
Indonesia
attracted $6.8 billion of foreign direct investment outside the banking and
petroleum sectors in the first half of 2015, a 18 percent rise from the same
period last year, data from the Investment Coordinating Agency showed.
Investor Daily
No comments:
Post a Comment