TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The issue of foreign workers (TKA) became one of the ammunition for candidate number 02 vice president Sandiaga Uno to attack vice-presidential candidate number 01 Ma'ruf Amin during a vice presidential debate at the Sultan Hotel Jakarta this evening, Sunday, March 17 2019.

Sandiaga Uno questioned a fair policy for workers in Indonesia in a question and answer session on labor issues. According to Sandiaga Uno, foreign workers in Indonesia can reduce employment opportunities for Indonesian citizens. "Foreign workers in Indonesia are well controlled by the existing rules of 'below 0.01 percent' and that is the lowest in the whole wide world, see the data yourself," said Ma'ruf Amin.

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Ma'ruf Amin also said that foreign workers entering Indonesia were limited to certain fields. Ma'ruf Amin then emphasized that the employment solution would still be prepared by one of them through start-up. "We promise that 3,500 start-ups will be present," he said.

The issue of foreign workers is indeed predicted by many parties to emerge in the debate in the third round of the 2019 presidential election between vice presidential candidate Ma'ruf Amin and Sandiaga Uno. As a result, in the past four years, the presence of TKA has always attracted public attention and caused polemics.

Presidential candidate number 01 Prabowo Subianto has long ago made the issue of foreign workers as an attack on the government. After attending the May Day celebration held by the Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions last year, he said the priority of domestic workers was absolute to be given.

DEWI NURITA