KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Association of Foreign Maid Agencies (Papa) is baffled over the recent government decision to allow Nepali maids back into Malaysia as there is hardly any demand for them.
Papa president Alwi Bavutty said: "It would not be an exaggeration to say that less than 10 households in the country would like to employ Nepalis as domestic helpers.
"Trends show that even local Indian households prefer to hire Indonesians as maids. People are just not interested in getting Nepali maids due to the cultural differences and language barrier."
Nepal had suspended the supply of its domestic workers to Malaysia in 2007 following frequent reports of abuse by Malaysian employers.
It was reported that in a draft proposal, the Nepali embassy here suggested monthly wages be set at RM650 and that Buddhist, Christian and Muslim Nepali domestic workers be sent to employers of similar religious faiths here.
Alwi said that before 2007, Nepali maids were paid about RM500. "Now, they would be receiving RM600, on par with maids from other countries."
The Indonesian government also stopped sending domestic maids to Malaysia since June 2009, following several incidents of abuse as well as the lack of employment rights such as a minimum wages and weekly off-days.
Alwi said Malaysia had taken in some 250,000 maids from countries such as the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and Sri Lanka.
"At the moment, the demand for maids from Cambodia is the highest followed by the demand for maids from the Philippines and Vietnam."
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