Government Prepared To Improve System To Protect Foreign Workers

Oct 18, 2011
(Bernama)

PUTRAJAYA -- The government is prepared to improve the existing system to protect and ensure the safety of foreign workers, especially housemaids working in this country.

Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Dr S.Subramaniam said the assurance was among initiatives undertaken by the Malaysian government in tackling the issue of foreign maid abuse and ill-treatment which could adversely affect bilateral relations.

"This is a sensitive issue that can hurt the feelings of citizens of the countries concerned. We should tackle this issue amicably. On the part of the government, we must show our full commitment to providing adequate protection to foreign workers through the system available.

"If the system needs to be improved, we will do so. This is the assurance that the government can give," he said after delivering his Deepavali message at his residence, here, Tuesday.

Dr Subramaniam regretted the freeze by the Cambodian government on sending housemaids to Malaysia over a number of alleged cases of abuse of Cambodian housemaids here.

Hence, he said, the ministry's senior officials had been told to hold discussions with senior officials of the Home Ministry and relevant agencies to find new measures to enhance protection for foreign workers.

He said although 99 per cent of the employers were responsible towards their maids' welfare, the minority who abused their maids had given a bad name to Malaysia.

The minister said the government was prepared to listen to any proposal from Cambodia on ways to protect the welfare of their housemaids.

There are about 39,000 Cambodian housemaids in Malaysia.

Dr Subramaniam said Malaysia and Cambodia had discussed about signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Cambodian housemaids like the MoU signed with the Indonesian government in May.

"This is still under discussion with Cambodia as each country has issues perculiar to that country with regard to housemaids," he said.

Meanwhile, Dr Subramaniam is confident that the freeze on sending maids from Indonesia could be lifted during the annual consultation between Prime Minister Datuk Seri Tun Razak and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Lombok on Oct 20.

Among the conditions agreed upon in the MoU between Malaysia and Indonesia, is that a Malaysian employer will get a replacement maid or compensation for the deposit paid to the employment agency involved, if the hired maid runs away, is inefficient or fails the medical test within six months of employment.

-- BERNAMA