KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will activate an integrated system with Indonesia to monitor its citizens working here, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.
Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan said it would link the Home Ministry's existing system with the one used by Indonesian authorities.
He clarified that there was no condition stated in the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the two countries to cease the use of Malaysia's maid online system.
"Indonesia had instead asked to use its existing system to monitor its citizens (working in Malaysia).
"Yesterday (on Monday), we had a discussion with Indonesian representatives and agreed to integrate the Home Ministry's system with the one suggested by Indonesia," he said in reply to a question from Loke Siew Fook (DAP-Seremban) during the ministerial question time.
Saravanan acknowledged the country needed workers from Indonesia urgently in some sectors, adding that the republic had suggested a one-channel system.
"The Home Ministry is using its own system (for foreigners entering Malaysia to work). Indonesia said it had no knowledge of its citizens coming into Malaysia as tourists but later receiving permits to work here.
"They (Indonesia) have no information about their citizens coming into this country. With the one-channel system, it can monitor them," he said in reply to a question from Steven Choong Shiau Yoon (Parti Bangsa Malaysia-Tebrau).
Saravanan said the Malaysian and Indonesian governments signed an MoU on April 1, paving the way for Indonesians to come and work here for sectors hiring foreigners, including domestic workers.
However, the Indonesian government on July 12 announced a temporary suspension, and not a freeze, for Indonesian workers entering Malaysia, he said.
Saravanan expressed confidence that the issue would be resolved soon.
He said the Human Resources Ministry had approved more than 200,000 applications for foreign workers and Malaysian employers had paid the levy to the Immigration Department.
Saravanan later told the Dewan Rakyat that foreign workers' applications made by Malaysian employers were not based on countries of origin, but on labour needs of the 15 sectors.
"Approvals for the foreign workers quota are made based on the sectors allowed to hire foreigners and not based on nationalities.
"Hence, the information that I have approved 200,000 Bangladeshis (to work here) is not true," he said in reply to a question from Datuk Abdullah Sani Abdul Hamid (PKR-Kapar).