SABAH has no right to regulate Indonesian citizens by revising the contract tenure of foreign workers from 10 to 15 years, Indonesia’s Vice-Consul General Darmawan Purba said.

He said Indonesians overseas still need to adhere to the Indonesia’s citizenship policy, saying they are only allowed to work up to five years or risk losing their citizenship.

“Malaysia cannot regulate Indonesian citizens. It is regulations like this that Indonesians risk losing their nationality,” he said at the Kota Kinabalu Consul General office here today.

Darmawan was referring to the revision on Sabah’s Rehiring and Placement Scheme where Sabah Immigration director Musa Sulaiman announced foreign workers could now extend their service period to a maximum 10 to 15 years, with a renewal option every five years.

“Let me give you an analogy of this, let’s say we are neighbours, and my children goes to your place to play with yours. After six in the evening, I found they are still not home. So I called my children, and they told me you said they can stay there for the night.  

“These are my children… You can’t arrange for my children. So for the Indonesians, their parent is Indonesia and therefore, they are subjected to Indonesian law,” he said.

Darmawan said the contract maximum is two years, plus an additional one or two years extension, and in total up to four years, adding that Indonesians who work overseas usually return home by the fourth year.

According to him, Sabah should grant them permanent residency if it insisted on the extension, stating over the last 20 years many Indonesians had overstayed in the state or married locals and have children.

Darmawan said this was illegal as under the Sabah Labour Ordinance Cap 67, foreign workers are not allowed to get married while still on contract, or bring their wife and children to Sabah.

As a result, he said, the Sabah Rehiring and Placement Scheme is not a total solution to the illegal migrant issue in Sabah and is no different from 6P programme launched in 2011. – August 16, 2017.