The Malaysianinsider
MARCH 7 — The Indonesian maid issue has remain unsolved for two years and eight months. Would the maids be sent here?
After the exposure of many maid abuse cases, the Indonesian government stopped sending maids to Malaysia on June 26, 2009. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono then inked an agreement at the end of last year to revoke the ban.
However, two Indonesian maids had recently lodged reports with the Indonesian Embassy, claiming that they had been abused by their employers, one of whom is a senior government official.
If the sending of maids to Malaysia remains suspended, many career women who have been looking forward to domestic help will be affected.
However, they have gone through the past two years without Indonesian maids, while Cambodia has also stopped sending maids to Malaysia. Therefore, there are actually alternative ways to take care of the elders and children, as well as to handle the heavy loads of housework.
When Indonesia stopped sending maids to Malaysia, some local maid agency even described it as the biggest crisis ever for maid agencies. Some agencies might have closed down because of the ban, but the sky did not fall.
Besides, we must be psychologically prepared that the sources of maids might become lesser and lesser, because our neighbouring countries are accelerating their economic growth and they would sooner or later overtake Malaysia.
We had discussed about getting Chinese maids before this but China’s economy has taken off nowadays; would they still be attracted by the RM700 monthly salary? When Cambodia stopped sending maids to Malaysia, the government had studied the possibility to bring in maids from Myanmar. However, Myanmar is currently implementing an open policy and it might be wealthier than Malaysia in 10 years’ time.
It was reported that Indonesia would totally stop sending maids to all countries in 2017. Therefore, even if it lifts the ban and starts sending maids to Malaysia in April, maids would not be here for long.
As such, it is better to get prepared earlier for the days without maids, including setting up elderly care centres and community nurseries, to relieve the worries of most career women.
As for the poor record of maid abuse, it has completely exposed the quality of some employers. Abusing as well as exploiting and misappropriating wages of maids are violations of human rights.
It is even a national shame if the allegations against the senior government official are true.
When the police resorted to violence to disperse a peaceful assembly, detainees in police custody were harmed and members of the public were injured during police operations, the people had greatly criticised and condemned the law enforcement officers for not respecting human rights. Then what about those who abuse their maids?
Hiring maids is actually a test of human nature. If we can restrain the mentality of wanting to take advantage of them and treat them nicely, it will then the best moral practice of life.
However, over the past 30 years, some Malaysians still have not learned a lesson, but continue to abuse maids, whether verbally or physically.
The human resource minister should not try to play down the problem by saying that 99 per cent of Malaysian employers are good and only 1 per cent are trying to make trouble.
The society points its finger against the police even if only 0.1 per cent of officers display ill conduct. And the government’s credibility would be damaged if one per cent among the 1.4 million civil servants are found to have been involved in corruption. Therefore, the key does not lie on the number or amount, but the brutality and abuse against maids have never been stopped.
How are we going to transform into a civilised country if we cannot even handle the maid issue properly? — mysinchew.com
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication. The Malaysian Insider does not endorse the view unless specified.
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