He said this will be a “major problem” as he finalises the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two countries on the recruitment of Indonesian domestic workers that is set to be signed next month.

It is understood that this matter was conveyed to the Malaysian team by the Indonesians during the ongoing negotiations for the MoU.

Malaysia allows Indonesians who want to work in the country to enter on a tourist visa before applying for a work permit, a practice which Jakarta wants to end as it is liable to be exploited by certain parties.

“I’m having a major problem with the government of Indonesia as it is asking Malaysia to stop allowing domestic workers to come in as tourists,” Saravanan told the media today.

“Today, we have an understanding that any Indonesian who comes to Malaysia on a tourist visa may apply for a work permit. That is one of our current policies.

“The Indonesian government believes this amounts to forced labour and they’ve asked me to put an end to this before they sign the MoU,” he added during a Socso event here.

He said he would discuss the matter with home minister Hamzah Zainudin.

The government had banned the intake of new foreign workers, including domestic workers, because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In September last year, the government approved the entry of 32,000 foreign workers to ease the labour shortage in the plantation sector.