2007/05/16
MOUNTING complaints from local agents about the difficulty in getting Indonesian maids and excessive charges imposed by Indonesian agencies have prompted Home Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Radzi Sheikh Ahmad to meet with his counterpart at the end of the month.
He is also considering a review of some of the rules that favour the agencies. "We have received complaints from agents and employers over charges despite signing a memorandum of understanding with Indonesia last year. The fees have been settled but there still are complaints," he said in the parliament lobby yesterday.Under the MoU, Malaysia and Indonesia have fixed the agent’s fee for each maid at RM2,400. But Malaysian agents are charging more, claiming their Indonesian counterparts were demanding higher fees.Radzi said Indonesian agents were unhappy with their share of the fee and that many were now sending maids to other countries .
On complaints about arrangements which favoured the agency over the employer, Radzi said his ministry was considering reviewing the rules. "Each time a maid runs away, the employer is slapped with a fine and the agency is not culpable for anything. It is time something is done about this. We have to look at penalising the agency too." On average, 1,200 maids run away from their employers each month. Earlier, Radzi told the Dewan Negara that up to the end of last month, 68,138 Indonesian maids had fled the homes of their employers.The government is now considering allowing the recruitment of maids from India, Laos, Nepal, Vietnam, Timor Leste, Kazakhstan and Turkistan.To a suggestion by Datuk Tajul Urus Mat Zain that formal training be provided to improve the quality of the maids, Radzi said the idea was good but it would only increase the cost for a maid.
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