UIN Jakarta and Social Affairs Minister Urge the Accelerated Discussion on Social Workers Bill

Main Auditorium, UIN NEWS Online - Social Affairs Minister Dra Khofifah Indar Parawansa M.Si hopes that the House of Representatives expedite deliberation of the Bill on Social Workers (RUU Peksos). Its existence is expected to be a legal protection for social workers as well as a Social Welfare guarantee of students to face world of work in accordance with their previous field.

This was conveyed by Khofifah in the National Seminar of 'Multicultural Competence for Professional Social Workers' at the Main Auditorium on Thursday (20/04/2017). "On this occasion, I, as the Minister of Social Affairs hope that the House of Representatives soon to be inserted in national legislation program 2017 and speed up the discussion so that it can be enacted immediately," she said.

According to khofifah, the government itself has repeatedly handed the Bill of Social Workers to the House of Representatives with expectations in mind that the bill would immediately pass into the national legislation program to be discussed and legalized as a legal protection. In 2015, for instance, the government had submitted it to the House of Representatives in the hope that it could pass into national program at the same year. The Bill had been reoffered in the following year and been ended with the same result. Yet, the Bill continue to re-enter the House of Representative this year,.

"Hopefully the bill will enter the national program this year. Its because we had reflected to various conditions, and this is a good time for the ratification of the bill, "she said.

UIN News Online has searched and noted that this Social Worker Bill has actually been included in the long list of House of Representatives on their national program 2015-2019. The reason why the bill has not yet pass in priority program is because of administrative completeness has not yet fulfilled such as Academic manuscript and Draft Bill. The academic manuscript itself is still in the formulation of Commission VIII of House of Representative.

On various occasions, Khofifah often expresses that the ratification of the bill would strengthen the role and existence of national social workers. Social worker, according to her, is like a doctor for all professions’ trouble everywhere. If the bill finished on discussion then there will be recognition process on the social worker profession which has equivalent to various other strategic profession.

Ministry of Social Affairs noted, total number of national social welfare problems (PMKS) reached no less than 17.2 million people. Meanwhile, the number of national social workers is no more than 15,522 people in Indonesia.

She additionally explained, if the Law of Social Worker has been issued, corporations or companies must also have social workers became an integrated part of the company. Any other part that need social worker are schools and hospitals.

In line with her expectations, Chairman of Social Welfare Program FINIKOM UIN Jakarta Lisma Dyawati Fuaida M.Si said she also has encouraged the parties accelerate the discussion and ratification of the Bill. When commemorating World Social Work Day 2017 on 21 March, the academic community of Social Welfare Program of UIN Jakarta held a peaceful action to encourage the government and the House of Representatives to accelerate the ratification of the Bill.

" With the enactment of the Bill, it can guarantee students’ Social Welfare who will soon entering the world of work and applying their knowledge as their implementation to the community," she explained. (usa)