It said the claim was “completely untrue” as the ministry had not held any discussions with any party on such a system — purportedly called “Sistem Pengambilan Pekerja Asing dan Pengurusan Sumber Manusia”.

“We hope this clarifies any confusion among employers or those in the industry, particularly diplomatic representatives, regarding this system,” the ministry said in a statement today.

It was responding to Malaysia International Tourism Development Association (MiTDA) CEO Mahadzir Mansor, who alleged that the ministry was supporting the system.

He reportedly said all matters relating to the hiring of workers could be done through this system without the involvement of middlemen.

With this system, employers only had to pay RM1,000 to the recruitment company, WOWI HR Malaysia, he added.

However, this price did not include the levies that employers had to pay to the government and travel expenses for workers.

Mahadzir had claimed that this system would hasten the intake of foreign workers as well as tackle the issue of human trafficking.

Indonesian ambassador to Malaysia Hermono was reported as saying that no discussions had taken place with the human resources ministry on such a system.

Hermono also said he was unsure whether this was an official system by the Malaysian government or a private enterprise.