Malaysia, Indonesia To Cooperate In Registering Workers Without Permit

PUTRAJAYA, Sept 26 (Bernama) -- Malaysia and Indonesia will cooperate in registering Indonesian workers who have entered Malaysia legally, but have no working permit, Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said.

He said the programme would be carried out by the Indonesian Embassy here starting on Oct 15.

Under the programme, all registered Indonesian workers in Malaysia will receive a worker's card, with the color differs from sector to sector," he told reporters after meeting Indonesian Manpower and Transmigration Minister Muhaimin Iskandar here on Thursday.

"The card will also replace the Journey Perform Visa which will be abolished by Sept 30," he said.

However, Ahmad Zahid said to prevent congestion at the Indonesian Embassy, the Malaysian government would take the initiative to identify and call the employers to complete the documentation process in stages according to their sectors.

"We will write a letter asking them to come to the embassy with all the relevant papers to complete the documentation for their workers," he said.

He said the programme would be carried out for three months, with the aimed to tackle the issue involving 490,000 foreign workers in this country who have valid passport but without working passes.

In another development the minister said the Indonesian government had agreed to reduce the cost of hiring Indonesian maids to RM7,800 from RM8,000 previously and to speed up the hiring process to only 42 days from 80 days previously.

-- BERNAMA