Jakarta, 23 January 2022 -- Indonesia has a very strong network of migrant workers spread all over the world. These migrant workers not only benefit the country they live in, but also Indonesia. Not a few families in Indonesia always receive very strong remittances to connect and even improve their standard of living.
In consideration of the assignment of PT Bank Negara Indonesia (Persero), Tbk. (BNI) in international business, the Minister of SOEs of the Republic of Indonesia, Erick Thohir, again encouraged the company to give appreciation to migrant workers. This time, BNI and the Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Agency collaborated in appreciating the families of migrant workers to help meet educational needs, business openings and the need to increase financial literacy.
The appreciation was symbolically handed over by Erick Thohir in Cianjur City, West Java, Sunday (23/1/2022). In the ceremony, which implemented strict health protocols, BNI’s Institutional Relations Director, Sis Apik Wijayanto and the Deputy for Placement and Protection for the European and Middle East Regions - Inspector General of Police Achmad Kartiko also accompanied the symbolic handover of the savings.
Erick Thohir said that the government places migrant workers as foreign exchange heroes who help national economic growth from abroad. The government also continues to encourage all domestic development agencies, especially BNI as a Bank with international excellence to encourage business as well as social activities to support a sustainable economy.
"BNI recently appreciated honorary teachers, yesterday also appreciated nurses and midwives, so today BNI is here to give appreciation to Indonesian migrant families and is accompanied by its commitment to help with financing and assistance," he said.
Erick hopes that with this appreciation, all migrant families can be more motivated to raise the status of the country's foreign exchange fighters. With all its limitations, Erick said that all SOEs in the future will be encouraged to not only distribute CSR but make this program more targeted to address more specific and sustainable problems. "This is a journey of life that we take care of each other. Therefore, we continue to encourage migrant workers to rise to a professional level. That is why BNI as an international Bank supports migrant workers, including the diaspora. It is not impossible for migrant workers to become diaspora and even become entrepreneurs overseas," he added.
On this occasion, BNI’s Institutional Relations Director, Sis Apik Wijayanto, said that BNI is a Bank directed by the government to become a Bank with superior international business capabilities. The Company also continues to strengthen its role as an agent of development, including supporting the sustainable economic development of Indonesian people abroad.
In this effort, the company has a special empowerment program, namely the Indonesian Migrant Families (KAMI) with BNI. We hope that this program can be an asset in building the capability and capacity of Indonesian Migrant Workers throughout Indonesia.
Sis Apik said that BNI had allocated Rp 5 billion of CSR funds for the empowerment program for Indonesian Migrant Workers (PMI). As a form of this commitment, BNI again held a migrant worker appreciation program in Cianjur.
"We focus on this program on 3 (three) agendas, namely financial assistance for the education of migrant workers’ children, improving migrant workers’ skills, as well as business assistance programs for former migrant workers who will return to their homeland," he said.
Sis Apik explained that on this occasion BNI will provide skills improvement assistance for prospective migrant workers who will go overseas. Self-development programs can be used as capital for migrant workers to compete in the foreign labor market. "We also hope that these migrant workers can become a channel to promote Indonesia as well as become agents of change by bringing useful work experience when they return home," he added. (*)