RM6,700 maid fee unreasonable, burdensome, says Mama

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 5 — The move to fix the cost hiring of maids from Indonesia at RM6,700 is not only unreasonable but also burdensome, according to the Malaysian Maid Employers Association (Mama).

Its president Engku Fauzi Engku Muhsein said Mama was against the move and regarded it as a serious mistake if implemented. 

“I disagree if they really want to stick to the decision because it is obvious the amount is unreasonable and still high and will only burden the employers,” he told Bernama, when contacted.

He was commenting on the announcement by the Malaysian Association of Foreign Maid Agencies (Papa) yesterday that the cost of hiring Indonesian maids was fixed at RM6,700 effective immediately. 

The new cost structure does not include RM1,800 in loan to the maid to defray the cost on the Indonesian side.

Engku Fauzi said Papa and the Human Resources Ministry should take into account the views of all quarters involved in the issue of maids before making any decision.

“We believe there are alternatives for reducing costs and we can prove that the amount can be reduced if our views are taken into account,” he said.

He also demanded the details in the cost be released to ensure transparency and to assure the amount would be retained and not increased in future. 

Prior to this, under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by the Indonesian and Malaysian governments, the fee to bring in maid from Indonesia was fixed at RM4,511, namely RM2,711 to be paid by the employer and RM1,800 by the maid. 

Meanwhile, Malaysia National Association of Employment Agencies (Pikap) president Datuk Raja Zulkepley Dahalan, when contacted, declined to comment further but said a press conference would be held as soon as possible to explain the costs. — Bernama