Joint Press Statement of President of the Republic of Indonesia and Prime Minister of Malaysia, at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, April 1, 2022

President of the Republic of Indonesia (Joko Widodo)
Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.
Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.

First and foremost, I would like to welcome Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Ismail Sabri bin Yaakob to Indonesia. This is the second visit for PM Sabri to Indonesia.

During this visit, we both witnessed the signing of the MoU regarding the placement and protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers in Malaysia. The MoU will, among other things, regulate the use of a one-channel system for the entire process of placing, monitoring, and returning Indonesian Migrant Workers so that the measures can be properly monitored. Indonesian Migrant Workers have contributed a lot to economic development in Malaysia. They are entitled to rights and maximum protection from the two countries.

With PM Sabri’s presence today, I believe this MoU can be implemented properly. I believe that the MoU is not merely a paper. All parties must carry out the MoU properly.

I hope similar cooperation can be continued in other sectors, including in plantation, agriculture, manufacturing and service sectors. Apart from that, we still have a lot of cases of people smuggling. To that end, we have agreed to start discussing cooperation measures in handling people smuggling, including in terms of law enforcement.

At the meeting, we also discussed the importance of completing negotiations on maritime and land boundaries. With the opening of the border between the two countries, it is time for the negotiations to be intensified.

Before I conclude my statement, I would like to say Marhaban Ya Ramadan. Happy fasting in the month of Ramadan 1443 Hijri, and I ask for your forgiveness. May grace from Allah SWT always be bestowed on us, and we well be protected from disease and disaster.

That concludes my statement. I invite Prime Minister Ismail Sabri to deliver his statement.

I thank you.

Prime Minister of Malaysia (Dato’ Sri Ismail Sabri bin Yaakob)
Your Excellency Mr. President,

First and foremost, I would like to express my highest appreciation and gratitude to your Excellency Mr. Joko Widodo, President of the Republic of Indonesia, for once again welcoming my visit to Jakarta. And I would like to thank you for the friendly service provided to me and my delegation. We also had the opportunity for a tête-à-tête meeting. If it was not for Friday prayers, our conversation would be longer.

This visit symbolizes the result of a strong and close relation between Malaysia and Indonesia through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding for the placement and protection of Indonesian domestic workers (PDI) in Malaysia today, a Friday full of blessings and also in conjunction with the arrival of the glorious month of Ramadan.

The MoU signing is a big and important moment, because it reflects the continued commitment of the Malaysian and Indonesian Governments to provide great and lasting benefits to the people of both countries. I am aware that the MoU has gone through several series of discussions before and thank God this time it was successfully completed ahead of the glorious month of Ramadan. I would like to congratulate Minister of Human Resources of Malaysia and Minister of Manpower of the Republic of Indonesia.

As a neighboring country, Malaysia always appreciates and lauds the contribution of Indonesian migrant workers to the economic development and life of the Malaysian people. This MoU will ensure that all processes of placement and protecting mechanisms for Indonesian domestic workers will be carried out comprehensively by the parties concerned in accordance with laws and regulations in both countries. In this case, the single-entry channel for Indonesian domestic workers to Malaysia has been approved using one-channel system, as contained in the MoU, which is important for screening employers who are eligible to hire Indonesian domestic workers.

I would like to inform you that Malaysia has ratified protocol 29 of the International Labor Organization (ILO) as part of Malaysia’s commitment at the international level to eradicate forced labor issues, including providing protection to migrant workers, including those from Indonesia.

Several initiatives have also been carried out by the Government of Malaysia in maintaining the virtues of domestic workers in terms of social protection through the development of social safety net (Perkeso), guarantees for payment of salaries through e- Wages, namely to ensure that salary payments do not exceed the seventh day of each month, one holiday every week, and e-Complaint application that allows workers to submit complaints offline or online. Any issues related to workers may be reported, including employer violence and other issues. The e-complaint is directly connected to Ministry of Human Resources or Labor, and I guarantee that we will definitely take the measures against employers who violate the agreement. Other provisions include those contained in the service contract. The signing of the MoU will also lead to the re-entry of Indonesian workers (TKI) to work in sectors permitted in Malaysia.

Another matter discussed during the tête-à-tête meeting was the inauguration of the Malaysian Ambassador to Indonesia, and I would like to express my gratitude to the President for agreeing to hasten the inauguration of the Malaysian Ambassador to Indonesia.

Regarding the re-opening of the border, I declare that Malaysia will fully open the border to all citizens of any country. And the procedure is simple, that is, there is no more quarantine and the inspections can be carried out at the airfield or airport, or in clinics outside the airport. And I would like to thank you, because I also understand that Indonesia opens its borders without quarantine, with the condition that the visitors must go through a PCR test. Thank you, I believe that after this, the relationship among the people will be stronger through the opening of the border.

Regarding Malaysia’s potential for investment in East Kalimantan, with the opening of the new capital of Nusantara, we agree that development in border areas will be intensified. I have also agreed with the President on this matter, so that we can identify the areas to be developed, whether they are in Malaysia or in Indonesia. And I am grateful that the President has also agreed to let us identify the areas that will be developed by Malaysian investors in Nusantara.

On Rohingya issue, we agree that the issue needs to be resolved internally by the Myanmar side because for your information the Rohingya issue is a big issue in Malaysia, because there are 200,000 Rohingya refugees in Malaysia.

Regarding palm oil, we agree on the price of palm oil. The price of palm oil should be determined jointly by Malaysia and Indonesia, and we should not compete in terms of pricing, because Malaysia and Indonesia are the two countries that control palm oil exports.

We also agree, and we thank the President for agreeing with Malaysia, to strengthen the Malay language which is a regional language, namely Malaysian Malay, Indonesian Malay, Brunei Malay, Southern Thai Malay, Champa Malay in Cambodia, Malay in the Philippines, and Malay in Singapore. We agree that in every international forum, the President and I will use Malay as our medium of communication. And we agree that if we work together to strengthen the Malay language, the language may one day be made the language of the ASEAN.

All in all, I would like to thank you again, sir. I believe what we are doing today will benefit the people of both countries and I am confident that we will strengthen our brotherly relation, between Malaysia and Indonesia.

I thank you.

(RI/LW)