Smarter action needed instead of crude ban on maids [from Cambodia]

Cambodian maids in babysitting class at orientation in Kuala Lumpur.

Sunday October 16, 2011
Editorial
The Malaysian Star

AFTER Indonesia, Cambodia has become the next country to ban citizens from working as maids in Malaysia following some reports of maid abuse.

This ban cannot be welcome news in Cambodia or Malaysia, because it does nothing to solve the problem. Rather, it only creates additional problems.

Certainly we should not make light of such abuses, which include three reported deaths. Even one offence is one too many.

No employer can ever be entitled to abuse an employee, no matter how incompetent or disagreeable.

At the same time, we should not begrudge the concerns of a country that has been a source of domestic workers.

The government of such a country can be expected to take certain measures in response, but those measures need to be appropriate.

An outright ban without prior consultation is not the answer.

It neither improves the conduct of the small minority of cruel employers, nor does it protect the welfare of maids already in employment.

This sudden, unconditional ban may well sharpen Malaysian attitudes towards Cambodia and Cambodians, provoking more frustration and anger in the process.

Neither housemaids as an occupation nor their Cambodian origin is being “targeted” by even the worst employers, so a meaningful and effective solution must be more thoughtful and considered.

Within Cambodia, announcement of the ban has procured praise from the parliamentary Opposition.

However, policymaking needs to be guided by a higher purpose and a better sense of proportion, particularly when it purports to do so, or else it becomes mere politicking.

Malaysia also needs to address the problem of abuse more concertedly.

Whenever the few offending employers are subjected to the full weight of the law, that and the many cases of happy employees should be communicated effectively abroad.

Better routine protection for foreign workers is also overdue.

Representatives of foreign missions here and the relevant NGOs should be engaged in helping to design better safeguards.

Meanwhile, Malaysians should also explore the full possibilities of automation for their household chores.

Becoming a high-income nation need not mean simply hiring more low-skilled workers from lower-income countries, or treating them with hideous contempt.

More households are already switching to hiring part-time maids.

A longer-term solution is to become less dependent on domestic help, such as by being better housekeepers ourselves.