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Indonesia has begun preliminary checks on where it can send its workers - including maids - to, and a list announced yesterday by a top labor official does not include Singapore.

Officials contacted later, though, made clear the list, which now has just four destinations on it, is not final. They said Singapore could be included later.

Still, the news was greeted with shock and disbelief both here and in Singapore, with maid agencies worried about how it could slash the job options of Indonesian women as well as cut the supply of domestic workers to Singapore.

'How can we afford to limit it to four (destinations)? The unemployment number is rising, people are struggling to find jobs,' said Caswati, director of an Indonesian agency.

A director at Singapore-based Best Home Employment Agency, who wanted to be known only as Tay, said: "Which country can constantly supply 3,000 new helpers on a monthly basis?"

The source of the consternation was a report by Indonesian news agency Antara News, which said the country's Manpower and Transmigration Ministry had done a 'comprehensive evaluation' of the places where its maids work, and those destinations' policies on protecting migrant workers and their rights.

Antara quoted the director-general of the ministry's labor supervision and placement unit, Reyna Usman, as saying the government would allow maids to work only in destinations that were strongly committed to maids' protection.

'Based on the results of the evaluation, we have come to the conclusion that only four (places) can be categorized as destinations of Indonesian domestic helpers,' she said. They are Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

But when queried by The Straits Times, a spokesman for the manpower ministry said the list was "not final".

"We are still evaluating other countries. Singapore is likely to be added," said Suhartono. "So I have to stress that this is not final."

The government, he added, was still evaluating the working and welfare conditions of all the destinations that Indonesia's maids go to.

The labor attache at the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore, Isnarti Hasan, also said she spoke to Ms Reyna last night and clarified Singapore was still being evaluated as a destination for maids.

Singapore's Ministry of Manpower said it did not receive any official notice on the issue, and that it is seeking clarifications from the Indonesian Embassy.

Reyna could not be reached yesterday.

The latest measures are part of Indonesia's efforts to address rising cases of its citizens being abused overseas. Millions of Indonesians work abroad, with many of them holding jobs as maids in the four destinations on the approved list, as well as Singapore, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.

In Singapore, the 90,000 or so Indonesians make up nearly half of all maids working there.

Little wonder, then, that maid agencies in Indonesia and Singapore were put on the back foot by the news.

"This is odd because Singapore is one of the countries that we classify in the 'good' category and is definitely a country that has lower rates of domestic worker complaints," said Jamaludin, secretary-general of the Indonesian Migrant Worker Trade Union.

Caswati also described Singapore, along with Hong Kong and Taiwan, as having "the best regulation on maids protection".

A Straits Times report earlier this year found that Indonesian maids were increasingly favoring Hong Kong and Taiwan over Singapore as destinations, as salaries in the Republic were falling behind.

Maids in Taiwan and Hong Kong also get mandatory days off, something they do not get in Singapore.

Despite this, some agencies in Singapore remained confident that the Republic would make the cut in the list.

Said Allan Seow, manager of Singapore-based maid agency FME Management: "Usually, they exclude countries when there are serious issues such as abuse. I don't think problems like days off will cause us to be taken off the list."

Indonesia has imposed bans on Malaysia and Saudi Arabia - which are on the approved list - following complaints of abuse. The ban on Malaysia is expected to be lifted soon after both sides agree to resolve the issue, and Reyna also told Antara that negotiations with Saudi Arabia were going well.

Reprinted courtesy of Straits Times Indonesia. To subscribe to Straits Times Indonesia and/or the Jakarta Globe call 021 2553 5055.