Doing all to let foreign maids return

 

Big help: Indonesian maid Bibik Suraini doing household chores while her employer Siti Husaini takes care of her daughter at home in Selangor. — AZHAR MAHFOF/The Star

PETALING JAYA: There are issues that must be overcome before foreign domestic maids can be allowed back into the country, said Human Resource Ministry (MOHR) deputy secretary general of operations Datuk Muhd Khair Razman Mohamed Annuar.

“These are trying times and we acknowledge the problems faced by employers and private recruitment agencies.

“We will channel their grievances to the proper government platform and will try to assist them, ” he said, responding to calls for the government to reopen borders to foreign helpers.

He said the ministry would be negotiating a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Indonesia on the recruitment of domestic maids before the moratorium on importing foreign workers, which ends on June 30, is lifted.

“The main hurdles in employing foreign domestic maids which we have to address are the high recruitment costs, skills that are not up to employers’ expectations, absconding maids and non-compliance of certain employers when hiring a maid, leaving the latter open to abuse, ” said Khair.

He added that Malaysia is currently preparing for negotiations on the MoU with the government of Indonesia, the country which supplies the most foreign maids to Malaysia.

“The negotiations will focus on the aspect of recruitment employment and repatriation framework which encompasses the responsibilities of governments, maids, employers and recruitment agencies in Malaysia and Indonesia, ” said Khair.

He pointed out that for countries without MoUs, there were processes and procedures that needed to be adhered by the parties involved such as employers and recruitment agencies in Malaysia and in source countries before foreign maids could be allowed to work in Malaysia.

“The moratorium needs to be lifted before foreign maids are allowed to work, ” said Khair, who also clarified that this was applicable to both local employers and expatriates.

He also reminded the parties involved in the hiring of foreign domestic maids to adhere to the Private Employment Agencies Act 1981.

“All private employment agencies in Malaysia need to be responsible and ensure that the recruitment process is conducted in a safe, transparent and orderly manner – for example, classifying private employment agencies by licences based on the category of workers and the imposition of bonds ranging from RM5,000 to RM250,000 based on the licences given, ” said Khair.

He added that while there were many families who needed domestic maids to take care of the elderly, disabled and children, there was also a need for a change of mindset among Malaysians to reduce the dependency on foreign maids.

“Business organisations should play a role in providing childcare facilities at work and the government should provide more incentives to encourage such facilities, ” said Khair.

There have been many calls from employers and private recruitment agencies for the government to

lift the moratorium to enable foreign domestic maids to enter Malaysia.

Last November, the government stated that it was open to reviewing the entry of stranded maids who had returned to their native countries on a case-to-case basis.

However, recruitment agencies then asked that new foreign domestic helpers entering Malaysia for the first time but whose permits were approved before the Covid-19 movement control order also be considered.

With the opening of economic activities and schools, there are now renewed calls from employers and private recruitment agencies for the government to allow all approved foreign domestic maids to enter Malaysia as soon as possible. - Star