6 May 2015, The Jordan Times

AMMAN — The Indonesian government’s recent decision to ban its citizens from working in several Middle Eastern countries, including Jordan, will have a negative impact on the sector, an insider said Wednesday.

Khaled Hseinat, president of the Domestic Helpers Recruitment Agencies Association (DHRAA), said a delegation from Jordan visited Indonesia four months ago to discuss reopening the local market for Indonesian domestic helpers.

“The decision was a shock, as discussions to resume cooperation were under way,” he told The Jordan Times over the phone, adding that Jakarta did not inform Amman of its intention to prohibit citizens from working in the Kingdom.

Hseinat cited the validity of a five-year-agreement on recruitment of domestic helpers between the governments of the two countries, which is automatically updated and is subject to amendments.

He added that Indonesian officials requested opening an office of their country’s workers’ association in Amman, which DHRAA complied with after the approval of the governments of the two countries.

“We would not have paid for setting up the office if we foresaw the ban,” Hseinat said, adding that Indonesian officials have always described Jordan as the best country regarding regulations governing guest workers.

Indonesia stopped sending workers to Jordan around four years ago “due to organisational purposes that were to last for two months as they claimed at the time”, according to Hseinat.

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