Brace for the day maids stop coming

ECONOMIC GAME-CHANGER- Indonesia's growing prosperity means its workers won't be looking for jobs abroad forever

ONCE again, the ugly issue concerning mistreatment of foreign maids in Malaysia has surfaced. And the latest one involves, for the umpteenth time, maids from Indonesia.

We have to take a closer look at this domestic maid issue and not just limit it to curbing future instances of mistreatment against them.

It is becoming quite clear that even the Indonesians are getting increasingly tired of assurances from Malaysia that no maids from that country would be mistreated again.

Let's face it. The Malaysian authorities have time and again warned employers of maids and foreign workers' agencies of the stiff punishment that awaits those guilty of mistreating foreign maids. That is about the most the authorities can do.

Beyond that, the fate of the maids lies in the hands of the agencies recruiting them and, later, their employers. The government cannot be expected to monitor the welfare of foreign maids around the clock.

Given the recent cases of mistreatment of foreign maids working here, it is a good time for Malaysians to ask themselves whether they are really ready to employ maids or whether they should look at other options.

It is pointless to whine, saying Malaysia has done this and that to ensure the maids' well-being or to say that every time an incident, such as the latest one, occurs, that it was an isolated case.

Remember what they say about a drop of ink in a pot of milk?

And before we get into the childish act of mentioning, in return, misdeeds committed by foreign workers working in Malaysia, let us remind ourselves that two wrongs don't make a right.

For the longer term, it would be naive for Malaysians to expect Indonesia, especially, to continue supplying maids to the country. Whether we like it or not, there will come a time when Indonesia will either stop sending maids to work here or simply demand that those sent here be paid more.

A primary reason why Indonesians have been coming in droves to Malaysia has been economic in nature. There were simply not enough jobs in Indonesia for the country's population of more than 250 million people.

The situation was made worse by the 1998 Asian financial crisis, where Indonesia was one of the hardest hit, resulting in it having to implement drastic moves prescribed by the International Monetary Fund. But that is slowly changing.

Indonesia has made tremendous economic progress and in the process, quickly regained foreign investors' interest in the country. Foreign direct investment jumped a hefty 22 per cent year-on-year in the third quarter as foreign investors bought interests in the mining and manufacturing sectors as well as equity stakes in Indonesian companies.

International economists also say that the surging foreign investors' interest in Indonesia also appears to be long-term in nature, given their preference towards taking up equity in companies rather than just portfolio investments in the stock market.

And it is also clear that the Indonesian government has adopted a long-term strategy of enlarging its middle-class population, with no other aim other than to build strong domestic consumption.

If it is successful, and with a population of more than 250 million to boot, Indonesians, the maids included, will eventually stop looking for employment abroad. What have we done to face that imminent situation? Perhaps little. At present it is obvious that Malaysians are not prepared to live without Indonesian maids while very little progress has been seen in efforts to provide childcare facilities at work places.

Instead, we have continued to whine every time Indonesia indicated it wanted to stop sending maids here.

And of irresponsible parties taking advantage of foreign maids -- they are not expected to disappear soon. Bringing in foreign maids into the country is considered good business as Malaysia is constantly in need of workers, especially non-skilled ones.

And whenever the potential for making profit is available, there will always be those who would be willing to ignore the law and the need for Malaysia to maintain a healthy relationship with its neighbours to ensure hefty returns.

These individuals or companies should be made to pay a heavy price for their wrongdoings.

- New Straits Times