Indonesian lawmakers see red over Malaysian ad for maids

This most recent controversy surrounded the wording of the ad, which was hung on trees in Chow Kit, with a large Indonesian population.

JAKARTA: An advertisement reading “Indonesian maids now on SALE!!!” seen tacked to trees in Kuala Lumpur has incensed Indonesian lawmakers in the latest row between the neighboring countries.

“The Indonesian government should sue the ones who made that ad,” Golkar Party lawmaker Poempida Hidayatullah said. “[The government] should ask Malaysia about their seriousness in handling Indonesian migrant workers.”

A photo of the flyer, which listed a 40 percent discount on placement fees for Indonesian maids, was tweeted by Anis Hidayah, the executive director of Migrant Care on Sunday.

The Kakarta Globe reported that less than 24 hours later, the tweet had grabbed the attention of lawmakers and news media in Indonesia, where incidents like this routinely ignite flare ups of anti-Malaysian sentiment.

In recent months allegations that Malaysia had appropriated a traditional Indonesian dance, unfounded claims of organ harvesting and serious allegations of police violence have spurred public protests and vitriolic statements from lawmakers.

This most recent controversy surrounded the wording of the ad, which was hung on trees in Chow Kit, with a large Indonesian population.

The flyer read: “Indonesian maids now on SALE!!! Fast & Easy Application!! Now your housework and cooking come easy. You can rest and relax, Deposit only RM3,500! Price RM7,500 nett.” The normal placement rate in Malaysia totaled RM12,000 ($3,931), Anis told Kompas.com.

Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle lawmaker Rieke Dyah Pitaloka said the ad was “degrading to Indonesian migrant workers.”

The head of Indonesia’s Migrant Workers Placement and Protection Agency (BPN2TKI) called the ad uncivilized and threatened to permanently ban maids from Malaysia.

“Indonesian migrant workers are not products,” Jumhur Hidayat told the Antara News Agency. “If there is no strict action taken by the Malaysian government toward the ad, it is possible [Indonesia will] stop sending migrant workers [to Malaysia] permanently.”

Jumhur told reporters that he would file an official complaint with the Indonesian Embassy in Malaysia.

Blame the agencies

The Indonesian Embassy’s spokesman Suryana Sastradiredja weighed in on the controversy in a lengthy segment on MetroTV Monday afternoon, explaining that the matter had been discussed with Malaysian officials.

“[The Malaysian Foreign Affairs Ministry] said ‘we want to have a good relationship, but the ad was made by an agency and there are thousands of agencies in Malaysia,’” spokesman Suryana Sastradiredja said.

“[The] Malaysian government feels sorry for this, but said the incident might have been used by people who wanted to destroy the relationship between Indonesia and Malaysia,” he added.

The Jakarta Globe called Rubini Resh, whose number was listed on the bottom of the flyer. Rubini, who handles marketing at the maid agency Smart Labor Services, was confused by the amount of attention the ad received abroad.

“I think we have got a misconception,” she said. “We are not selling the maids, we are selling our services. It is just a catchy advertisement.”

The agency offered a 40 percent discount on fees associated with locating a potential maid, procuring her visa and drafting her contract, Rubini said.

“We supply house maids and we are giving a discount for the application,” she said.

Rubini was surprised the ad had made it to Indonesia. The flyer was only hung around Kuala Lumpur, she said.

“This is a really old advertisement” Rubini said. “I am very sorry.”

Indonesian maids placed by the agency are paid RM700 a month, the standard rate in Malaysia.

But amid a moratorium, the agency didn’t have any new Indonesian maids for customers, Rubini said.

“We don’t receive anybody at the moment now,” she said.

-Agencies