Thursday, June 25, 2009

Indonesian maids: can we do without them?

Before you read any further, See this video and this.

In 2001, when my daughter was just four months old and my son in standard one, my maid, an Indonesian from Medan decided to abandon them and run away with her new found boyfriend, her country man.

Fortunately for me and my wife, she decided to do so on a Sunday when both of us were at home. She was seen by a neighbour walking about in my porch restlessly about 5.30am. She was obviously waiting for someone to pick her up. My wife and I woke up to find her long gone.

When she came to work with us, we accepted her as a family and gave her a day off on Sundays. Sundays will be a day of outing for her and other Indonesian maids in my neighbourhood. So together, they would go out and return about 6pm.

It was during one of these outings that she met the Indonesian man who she eventually ran away with. A neighbour's maid later admitted to us that my maid would see the man every Sunday without fail. To this day, I don't know what happened to her. The man could have been a member of a syndicate supplying illegal maids, or worse, could be a pimp.

Having learnt a lesson from these ordeal, we decided not to give day offs to my second maid who joined us about three months after the first one ran away. Each Hari Raya Aidil Fitri and Hari Raya Aidil Adha, we gave her a small bonus. No complaints, and everything was fine.

She stayed with us for seven years and decided to return to Indonesia only when her daughter had a baby and needed her to babysit. We had no problems with her. There were no problems because we didn't give her the opportunity to mingle with the outside world.

My point is, I do not welcome the Government's idea of making it compulsory for employers to give a day off to maids.

It is going to cause serious social problems. Surely, the number of missing maids is going to increase. They are going to show up in whorehouses. Human trafficking will increase, and Malaysia may be accused of being the hub for the trafficking of Indonesian women.

The problem is, whenever there is a case of maid abuse, etc, although isolated, the Ministry of Human Resources stoops to the pressure of the Indonesian Government. Each time such a case is reported in the Press, the Minister responsible will propose new regulations. Some times they are implemented, some times they are not.

I don't intend to cause a diplomatic row between Malaysia and Indonesia, but why should the Malaysian Government bow to Indonesia. If the Indonesian Government wants to stop sending maids to Malaysia because of a few isolated cases of maid abuse, so be it. We can consider employing maids from elsewhere. At the same time, we can also consider stopping recruiting Indonesian workers in the other economic sectors.

And who cares what the United States says about us. Remember, American corporations are the biggest culprits when it comes to employing child labour at their overseas operations. So is the US really in a position to talk dictate Human Resource policies?

An isolated case of maid abuse in Malaysia is often blown out of proportion. But what about maids who abandon helpless young children under their care and run away, leaving families in a lurch? What about the cases of maids abusing children? What about cases where maids work in cahoots with thieves who break in and steal their employers' valuables? What about maids getting pregnant because they use their day offs spending time with their new found boyfriends?

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

watching video two creeps me.

happened to my son, he's now twenty four.

that moment of time, feeling like choking her.


guys, at least once in a week pick any time/day - always, always make a spot check.

Anonymous said...

I think their pay is too too little for the load of work they do! We should not compare their standard of living back in their homes, we should be compassionate to give them their dues for their contributions.

These maids came here purely for financial reasons.

15years ago, imagine, the rate of an Indonesian maid in Sabah was RM4 per day! When the neighbors discovered I was paying RM18, they commented that I was over paying? SPOILING THE MARKET?

After finishing her work, weekdays, I even paid for dressmaking lessons in town from 3-5pm.

I learnt this from my late mum, the girls later married and left they will be able to set-up their own tailorshop.We are humans, we should help those who help us.

"Pesan dari mum saya, kerja yang mereka buat, kita sendiri tidak akan mampu, jadi jangan pandang rendah dengan kebolehan mereka".

Maids are part of our home. Treat them well, respect their contributions and you will get value for money and its a win win situation for both sides.

Give 2months training period, teach them well. Kita jaga hati mereka, mereka akan menjaga keluarga kita dengan penuh dedikasi..

SURIRUMAH

KL LIM said...

Hello Siva, Congrats

Anonymous said...

maid is human too, not dog.

Anonymous said...

Yes, Ashraf, way to go.
We should stop knee-jerk reactions.
Go for maids from other countries. You should tell MCA to stop obstructing moves to get maids from China. They are different from the China Dolls problem that Small Town Malaysia is facing. I hear maids from China are hardworking & fast-learners. Soon they will be able to speak the language of the household -- chinese dialects, BM, English, what-have-you.
Employers who abuse maids are isolated, psychotic and need help anyway.

cheers
KH

Anonymous said...

There are screwed up, incompetent & totally dysfunctional Indon maids. Y the media not hyping up the twisted side of maids where employers are the victims. Aiya bowing to Indonesia! Y? Bangsa serumpun policy? Imagine if we repatriate all the Indon workers & maids - can they handle them? they will be jobless! AA, tolonglah hilite how employers are suffering with useless Indon maids! Open up Nepal, Myanmar, etc...

ARMIN BANIAZ PAHAMIN said...

My goodness Ashraf...

i am very disturbed with that first video....!!!

i hope that was not your child.. if that child was mine, i do not want to imagine what will happen to the maid!!

armin

Anonymous said...

Salam dari Melayu Bersatu
http://kitaanakmelayu.blogspot.com

Dengan kerana BABI--- DAP tikam belakang PAS
DAP sanggup tikam belakang PAS hanya kerana satu rumah lapah babi


Mula Mula Lim Guan Eng memecat Ahli Majlis Perbandaran Seberang Perai Johari Kassim yang dikenali sebagai seorang ahli majlis yang ikhlas bekerja keras untuk membersihkan MPSP yang dikatakan begitu kusut dengan pelbagai permasalahan.


Johari dipecat walaupun PKR Pulau Pinang memohon agar belau tidak dipecat kerana beliau seorang yang kuat bekerja. Malah TKM1 yang baru dilantik pun meminta agar johari tak dipecat...


Tak layan.. pecat juga... malah katanya kalau suka, boleh suruh PKR cuba lantik Johari semula... begitulah bongkaknya Lim Guan Eng dari parti Roket.

Kemudian dituduhnya, kaum India yang bakal kehilangan rumah mereka sebagai bodoh dan katanya Hidraf sudah menjadi boneka BN...

Eh wahh sedapnya mulut,
dulu masa nak kan sokongan Hindraf, langit dan bumi bulan dan bintang dijanjikan,


Penduduk Kampung Buah Pala a.k.a. High Chaparral yang marahkan Lim Guan Eng - jawab Lim Guan Eng: merekalah yang bodoh kerana tak ambil pampasan- sekarang nak susahkan aku pulak..Gambar oleh Star Online


Tak cukup dengan itu, DAP sanggup keluar dari pakatan Rakyat demi kerana rumah lapah babi YANG DIDIRIKAN SECARA HARAM di kedah dirobohkan. Ait satu rumah lapah babi punya pasal pun boleh tinggalkan pakatan... macamana ni... BACA RENCANA THE STAR DI PENGUHUJUNG POSTING INI


Bila PAS nak berbincang dengan Umno untuk satukan Melayu dia kata macam macam kat PAS, sampai ada yang suruh PAS keluar dari pakatan kerana khianat... NI DAP sorang kat kedah to tak Khianat Pakatan Rakyat ke.. or more specifically, tak khianat PAS ke?

DAP bukan sekadar memaki hamun pas tapi meninggalkan pakatan hanya kerana sebuah rumah lapah babi, apa agaknya reaksi mereka kalu PAS betul betul mahukan negara Islam


DAP begitu lantang menghina Haji Hadi Awang kerana mahukan orang Melayu dan Islam bersatu kononnya ia mengguris perasaan Cina dan bukan Melayu yang lain, tetapi di Kedah mereka tak hiraukan langsung perasaan orang Melayu. Yang peliknya Nik Aziz setuju cakap DAP pulak tu... entahlah

pikir pikirkanlah wahai orang Malaysia

Unknown said...

you're right bro

editorialblog said...

pelantikan baru dalam kumpulan NSTP. Sila layari:
http://editorialblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/pelantikan-baru-dalam-kumpulan-nstp.html

IES Agencies said...

please come over to my blg and watch my video report on Anwar's sodomy trial

dari 5,000 yang diharapkan... 150 aje yang datang bersorak

http://marahku.blogspot.com/2009/07/anwars-sodomy-trial-starts-today.html

Unknown said...

Dimaklumkan bahawa Blog tuan telah diletak senarai didalam direktori listing SpotTheBloggers.

Tuan boleh menghantar email bantahan kpd pengendali SpotTheBloggers sekiranya blog ini hendak dikeluarkan daripada listings.

Selamat berkarya.

Salam hormat.

kita anak melayu said...

Ahsraf,

ada banyak anjing yang perlu ditendang, nak tahu siapa mereka, bacalah blog ini


http://kitaanakmelayu.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

[url=http://www.ganar-dinero-ya.com][img]http://www.ganar-dinero-ya.com/ganardinero.jpg[/img][/url]
[b]Estas buscando formas de ganar dinero[/b]
Nosotros hemos encontrado la mejor pagina web en internet de como ganar dinero. Como fue de interes para nosotros, tambien les puede ser de utilidad a ustedes. No son unicamente metodos de ganar dinero con su pagina web, hay todo tipo de metodos para ganar dinero en internet...
[b][url=http://www.ganar-dinero-ya.com][img]http://www.ganar-dinero-ya.com/dinero.jpg[/img][/url]Te recomendamos entrar a [url=http://www.ganar-dinero-ya.com/]Ganar dinero desde casa[/url][url=http://www.ganar-dinero-ya.com][img]http://www.ganar-dinero-ya.com/dinero.jpg[/img][/url][/b]