http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=74202
Published on: Sunday, August 22, 2010
Kota Kinabalu: Over 100,000 dependents of Indonesian workers in Sabah may be affected if a new policy of not allowing foreign workers to bring in their dependents to Malaysia is enforced.
What has also complicated matters is that the Indonesian Government had already purchased a 3.95-acre site at the Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park (KKIP) in Sepanggar for RM2.58 million for the purpose of setting up a school several months ago.
In this respect, Indonesian Consul-General Soepeno Sahid said he could not comprehend why a drastic new policy was being pursued since the Malaysian Government had already given permission for Indonesia to purchase the land to enable building a permanent school for children of their workers in Sabah.
Soepeno said the wives and children of the workers are living with their respective husbands who are mostly working in oil palm plantations and construction sector in the State.
So far, the Consulate has yet to receive any official letter regarding the new policy as announced by Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hussein, recently.
"We are calling our fellow Indonesian workers in Sabah not to panic as the policy is still at a proposal stage. We will notify them of the latest developments and the next step to be carried out.
"Nonetheless, the Consulate will cooperate and abide by the laws and regulations set by the Malaysian Government if the new policy is implemented," he said.
Soepeno, who said this to Daily Express when contacted, Saturday, was commenting on the announcement by Hishammuddin on Aug. 18.
Hishammuddin had announced that foreign workers, especially Indonesians in Sabah, may no longer be allowed to bring over their wives and children to Malaysia and that those currently staying with their families as allowed under previous policies may also have to send them back.
He said the new policy was among 20 recommendations forwarded by the State Foreigners Management Laboratory that was submitted to the Sabah Cabinet on July 7.
Hishammuddin said passes for foreign workers' dependents would also no longer be renewed or issued to the dependents under the new policy.
The recommendations would also be discussed at the Cabinet Committee on the Management of Foreign Workers and Foreigners chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
The Indonesian Consulate here signed a Sale and Purchase agreement with KKIP to buy the land in April to construct new building for its Kinabalu Indonesia School (SIKK), which they are renting in Alamesra.
In fact, the number of pupils in SIKK has been rising from 271 pupils two years ago to 352 now.
"It would be a loss (purchasing the land) for the Indonesian Government if the new policy is enforced in Sabah. Not only that, we have sent 109 Indonesian teachers to educate our workers' children in all 115 learning centres set up by Borneo Child Aid Society or Humana in oil palm plantations in the East Coast of Sabah.
"These teachers are providing formal education to about 9,000 Indonesian children in the plantations as we do not want them to end up as school dropouts," Soepeno said.
He reiterated that several aspects need to be looked into if such new policy is to be implemented as it would not be easy to return home all the Indonesian dependents in Sabah.
"It is stated in the Sabah Labour Law that foreign workers, except expatriates and skilled workers, are not allowed to bring over their family members.
"We realise that most of our nationals working in Sabah are unskilled workers who are accompanied by their wives, children and other family members, and they have been here for many years.
I believe the history of these people also need to be looked into," Soepeno said.
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