Kuwait’s Ambassador to Indonesia Abdulwahhab Al-Saqer meets Indonesian Minister M. Hanif Dhakiri.

KUWAIT CITY, Sept 6, (Agencies): Indonesian Manpower Minister M. Hanif Dhakiri was quoted as saying the Indonesian government is not in favor of sending domestic workers to Kuwait. “As of today, the government has not entertained the idea of revoking the moratorium on sending labor in the domestic sector to the Middle East, including Kuwait,” the minister informed Kuwait’s Ambassador HE Abdulwahhab Abdullah Al-Saqer to Indonesia.

This was disclosed to the Kuwaiti envoy when the latter was hosted by the minister in his office. In the meeting, the Kuwaiti government specifically requested the Indonesian government to send domestic workers to Kuwait.

Although the Kuwaiti envoy said the government of Kuwait respected the decision, he specifically requested that Indonesia exclude Kuwait from the policy of not sending domestic labor to the Middle East. “The royal family and the people of Kuwait are in need of domestic helpers from Indonesia,” Abdulwahhab said. “We hope that, especially for Kuwait, the Indonesian government can consider issuing a special policy.”

However, the minister was resolute and reasserted the government’s decision not to send domestic workers until the Middle Eastern governments showed significant improvement in the treatment and protection of not only Indonesian workers, but also domestic workers from other countries. “We still won’t send labor to Middle Eastern countries, including Kuwait, unless they are formal workers with specific skills,” said the minister.