Former Religious Affairs Minister's Jail Term Increased to 10 Years

Jakarta Globe, June 02, 2016

The Jakarta High Court has increased the prison term for former religious
affairs minister Suryadharma Ali, accused of multiple counts of graft during his
time in office, to 10 years on Thursday (02/06). (Antara Foto/Hafidz Mubarak A.) 

Jakarta. The Jakarta High Court has increased the prison term for former religious affairs minister Suryadharma Ali, accused of multiple counts of graft during his time in office, to 10 years on Thursday (02/06).

The court rejected his appeal against a ruling by the Jakarta Corruption Court in January, which sentenced the former United Development Party (PPP) chairman to six years in prison.

Suryadharma, found guilty of embezzling the country's hajj funds between 2010 and 2013 by awarding hajj quotas and free pilgrimages to friends and family members, was also deprived of his political rights.

"The right of the defendant to assume a public post is revoked for five years starting the end of his prison term," Jakarta High Court spokesman Heru Pramono said.

The court also upheld an order by the Jakarta Corruption Court that Suryadharma, who was found guilty of misusing the ministry's operational funds between 2011 and 2014 for personal use, has to pay a fine of Rp 300 million ($21,900).

The graft cases cost the state more than Rp 27.2 billion in losses.

Malaysian Employers Puzzled by Indonesia's New Rule on Live-In Maids

Jakarta Globe, June 01, 2016

Indonesian maids relaxing on their day off in Victoria Park, Hong Kong in this
 November 2012 file photo. In the wake of President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo's
move to step up protection of Indonesian domestic workers abroad, several
 of the affected countries have been trying to resolve issues of employer
responsibilities and maid's welfare. (JG Photo/Jurnasyanto Sukarno)

Jakarta. In the wake of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's move to step up protection of Indonesian domestic workers abroad, several of the affected countries have been trying to resolve issues of employer responsibilities and maids' welfare.

Last month, Indonesia announced a ruling that will stop women from working as live-in maids in foreign countries, including Malaysia. The new ruling also requires domestic workers abroad to enter into formal contracts with their employers.

"Once the maids become formal workers, their employers will no longer have to take care of their lodgings, security and other things. They have to take care of all their expenses [themselves], and whatever happens to them has nothing to do with their employers," Malaysian Maid Employers Association president Engku Ahmad Fauzi Engku Muhsein, as reported by Malaysian news outlet Bernama on Wednesday (01/06).

He added that if the domestic help sector was formalized, the current high recruitment costs for maids must be lowered.

According to the report, the government has set recruitment costs for Indonesian maids at 7,800 ringgit ($1,800), but agents have been charging employers as high as 12,000 ringgit, with an additional annual levy of 600 ringgit and a medical examination costing 100 ringgit.

Datuk Raja Zulkepley Dahalan, president of the Malaysian National Association of Employment Agencies (Pikap), meanwhile stated that the plan would have social implications and cause more complications between the two countries.

He suggested that the government should consider only allowing 50 to 100 reliable and financially strong agencies to control the hiring process. According to him, these agencies would be able to provide housing and other services for the domestic workers.

"I understand that around 350,000 employment agencies are registered with the government, while there are another 27,000 that are unregistered. These agencies should be responsible for the welfare of the maids as they have the capacity to provide them with the maximum protection," the Pikap president told Bernama.

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng also stated that the plan would affect the Malaysian economy, as it could force many women out of the workforce, or even result in men having to become stay-at-home dads.

"In many households, both parents work so they need live-in maids to help them. So without live-in maids, it will only force the women to leave the workforce and stay home," the minister told the Malaymail Online news outlet last month.

According to Migrant Care data, there were 6,5 million Indonesians working abroad in 2014, with 2,5 million of them employed in Malaysia mainly as maids, construction workers and laborers.