S. Arabia’s move not a human rights violation: RI

Adianto P. Simamora

The government says Saudi Arabia’s recent move to stop issuing new working visas to Indonesian migrant workers is not a human rights violation and will not affect bilateral ties.

Presidential spokesman on foreign affairs Teuku Faizasyah said it was the right of every country to decide whether or not to issue working or visiting visas to people from other nations.

“It is their right. Even our government sometimes rejects visa applications,” Teuku told reporters at the Presidential Palace on Tuesday.

Saudi Arabia declared it would stop issuing new working visas for migrant workers from Indonesia, just days after President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono publicly announced Jakarta’s plan to stop sending new migrant workers to Saudi Arabia starting August 1.

The moratorium on new migrant workers was announced after an uproar in Indonesia over the beheading of Indonesian maid Ruyati binti Satubi by the Saudi government.

Many Indonesians derided Saudi Arabia’s actions, in large part because of rumors that Ruyati, like many other maids working in the country, had been abused by her employers.

According to critics, Saudi Arabia’s move, implemented only weeks before Indonesia’s own moratorium takes effect, was retaliatory in nature.

Teuku, however, said Saudi Arabia and Indonesia’s relationship was not a matter of “win or lose”.

“We need to look at the two countries’ relations from a comprehensive perspective. We cannot be bogged down by one or two issues,” he said.

There are an estimated 1.5 millions Indonesian maids currently working in Saudia Arabia.

However, he said, after a partial moratorium was imposed on migrant workers to Saudia Arabia at the start of the year, the total number of migrant workers to the kingdom decreased by 50 percent.

A 2011 Human Rights Watch report noted that domestic workers from Indonesia “frequently endured forced confinement, food deprivation and severe psychological, physical and sexual abuse”.

University of Indonesia expert Hikmahanto Juwana said that limiting people’s freedom by banning the issuance of new visas could be categorized as a human rights violation.

However, Teuku said Indonesia would not report Saudi’s policy to the UN because it did not violate human rights.

“This is a bilateral issue between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia and thus should be resolved in bilateral talks. No need to bring it [to the UN],” he said.


(2011-7-6/The Jakarta Post)