The situation so far with foreign maids

New Straits Times
AsiaOne
Sun, Mar 20, 2011

SOME 50,000 foreign domestic helpers enter Malaysia annually, out of which 80 per cent are from Indonesia.

Prior to the moratorium, which was imposed unilaterally by Indonesia in June 2009 following a spate of abuses and exploitation involving their workers here, Indonesia was sending about 3,000 maids to Malaysia every month.

As of January, there were over 35,000 families on the waiting list for foreign maids and maid agencies across the country are trying to get replacements from Cambodia and the Philippines, but their numbers are not enough to fill the void left by the Indonesians.

In an attempt to get more Cambodian maids into the country, the Association of Foreign Maid Agencies (PAPA) urged the Human Resources Ministry to consider lowering the minimum age of Cambodian maids from the current 21 to 18.

But the request was summarily dismissed to allow Cambodian maids to finish schooling before being absorbed into the work force. It will also ensure that inexperienced maids are not hired.

Presently, PAPA president Alwi Bavutty said his association members, some 45 agencies in all, are trying to source for supply from other countries, but their choices are limited as no other country offers as wide a pool of domestic help as Indonesia.

Since the ban was imposed, Malaysia has agreed to give Indonesian maids one off day a week and allow them to hold onto their passports -- something which was usually kept in the possession of the employers to prevent runaways.

But talks have stalled recently over Indonesia's request for a minimum monthly wage of RM800. Currently, the average market rate is between RM500 and RM600.

Comparatively, Filipino maids get a minimum RM1,200 a month -- a sum not many middle-income families can afford.

Cambodians are perhaps the closest contenders in terms of wage rates -- at between RM600 and RM800 per month -- but Indonesians remain the favourites of Malaysian employers not just due to their low price tag, but because they share a similar culture and language.

-New Straits Times