JAKARTA, July 25 — The Presidential Staff office urged for the placement of workers in Malaysia to be resolved immediately, considering their significant contribution to the stability and development of the country's economy.

Expert Staff of the Presidential Staff office, Fadjar Dwi Wisnuwardhani, said the immediate resolution of the problem will also strengthen the workers’ protection and increase the opportunities for its people to work.

Malaysia is one of the most important countries for the placement of Indonesian workers, with 1.6 million of them in the plantation and manufacturing sectors and as domestic workers, he said as reported by the Antara news agency.

According to Antara, Bank Indonesia data showed the remittances from Indonesian workers to Indonesia prior to the Covid-19 pandemic were around US$3 billion (RM13.3 billion) or 40 trillion rupiah per year.

Indonesia temporarily froze the entry of workers into Malaysia on July 13 when it found that Malaysia was still using channels other than the 'One Channel System' — which is a breach of the memorandum of understanding (MoU).

However, Fadjar believes that Malaysia still respects the MoU because Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has instructed the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Human Resources to resolve the issue in Malaysia. — Bernama