RM1,500 or RM1,200 for maids? Clear the confusion, says Kula

 

M Kula Segaran (left) says M Saravanan must not hide the details on the cost of hiring maids.

PETALING JAYA: Former human resources minister M Kula Segaran has called on his successor, M Saravanan, to explain the confusion over the minimum salary for Indonesian maids in the new agreement signed with Jakarta recently.

Being a key component in the latest memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Malaysia and Indonesia on the recruitment and protection of domestic helpers from the republic, Kula said the salary issue had to be ironed out before the maids arrive.

Yesterday, Saravanan said the government had not agreed with the RM1,500 salary because Malaysia’s minimum wage was still RM1,200. However, Indonesian ambassador Hermono had said the RM1,500 was specified in the pact.

Kula said it was Saravanan’s duty to clarify whether the minimum salary for maids will be RM1,500 or RM1,200.

“Why are both countries talking about different salary rates when there is an agreement in place? This is confusing the public,” the Ipoh Barat MP said in a statement today.

On the cost of hiring which is causing much concern among potential employers, he urged Saravanan to be “honest and transparent” on the actual amount by providing a detailed breakdown of the expenditure.

Kula said employers wanted to know how much they would have to pay agents from both countries since he had said yesterday that the cost to hire a maid would drop from RM9,000 in the past to RM6,000 under the new MoU.

He said the government should also look at other source countries to recruit maids to meet the current high demand in Malaysia.

“In 2018, the Pakatan Harapan government agreed to allow hiring maids from Nepal after negotiating with the authorities there. But we could not ink the agreement due to the Sheraton Move.

“It has been more than two years now and the agreement has not been concluded. The minister owes Malaysians an explanation on this,” he said.

He urged Saravanan to be clear and specific to address the anxiety among Malaysians regarding the agreement to bring maids into the country.

“He must not hide the details, especially when there is much suspicion among Malaysians that there is mismanagement and corruption in the hiring of foreign workers,” he said. - FMT