KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian government must set out to correct fundamental flaws within the system of recruitment and protection of domestic workers or call time on the hiring of Indonesian maids.
Malaysian National Association of Employment Agencies (Pikap) adviser Datuk Raja Zulkepley Dahalan claimed many agencies which recruit domestic workers had shut down or migrated to offering maids as part-time workers, a practice which is disallowed under the law.
He, however, said bottlenecks in recruitment are expected to continue to decimate the industry as Indonesia, especially, was unhappy with several aspects of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that it inked with Malaysia this year and the execution of the agreement.
"These bottlenecks will continue unless we address these issues promptly, including the RM1,500 wage.
"There is so much pushback from employers, and judging from news reports, Indonesia also seems not keen on sending their maids here due to alleged abuse."
Raja Zulkepley said Indonesia provided the bulk of domestic workers to Malaysia, which is also sourcing maids from 14 other countries.
"Malaysia cannot afford to get on Indonesia's bad side because it is the most reasonably priced labour. It has to sort these issues out," he told the New Straits Times.
He said among the problems were the hazy matters related
to who would foot the bill in the event of hospitalisation, surgery and doctor's visits. Raja Zulkepley also echoed grouses from agents and employers that the government had not shared the full written MoU in the public domain.
"Most agencies offer from three-month to two-year coverage of these matters. But the question of who pays for surgeries and hospitalisation not related to accidents or covered by insurance but borne by employers during recruitment has to be resolved by the MoU."
He also said there was the question of what would happen if the domestic worker was Covid-19 positive and needed hospitalisation.
"We need to resolve these issues with clear and sound policies. Employers also have to check their privilege and entitlement when hiring the workers.
"I foresaw the death of this industry before the pandemic. It may be sooner, thanks to the pandemic's disruptions.
"And in the coming years, I believe maids will become so expensive that only the Top 20 income groups and those within the higher Middle 40 sub-income groups can afford them. Imagine a future without maids to look after your children or sick parents."
Raja Zulkepley also reiterated the need to park all matters related to migrant workers under the Human Resources Ministry as their agencies underlined all matters and policies related to labour.
Indonesia has already sounded the alarm that it planned to gradually stop sending its citizens to work as maids overseas.
The Association of Employment Agencies Malaysia vice-president Alfred Tan said agencies had requested 30,000 to 50,000 domestic workers by 2020.
"However, no agency that I know has received any.
"The only maids coming into the country during the time, I believe, is through the Maid Online system, where Malaysian employers directly hire these workers using visitor passes and apply for work visas within 30 days," he said, drawing on the system which Indonesia does not recognise and has been criticised by activists for the absence of legal protection for workers.
He further called on the Labour Department to give a clearer standard operating procedure updated with the MoU guidelines for maids' application process.
Tan also called on the Immigration Department to quickly process the applications as quicker approvals meant lower recruitment fees.
"Overall, there should be transparency in the MoU, so employers and the public know what to expect. All this should be put in the public domain."
The NST reported that the MoU on the employment and protection of Indonesian domestic workers in Malaysia, inked between the two countries on April 1, may be considered a toothless tiger because it is not legally binding.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian Embassy here is seeking clarification from Indonesia on its failure to bring in manpower into the country as scheduled.
Berita Harian reported on Wednesday that Indonesia's Ambassador to Malaysia, Hermono, said based on initial information, this was due to visa factors and incomplete travel documents.
He also said the embassy had not received detailed information on the situation, apart from asking the Indonesian Employment Ministry to get feedback from the relevant parties.
He added that Indonesia had decided to postpone the entry of Indonesian workers into Malaysia until the issues were resolved at the republic's side.
"I understand that some have said this (failure of Indonesian labour to enter Malaysia) is due to visa issues. The visa issued by the Malaysian Embassy in Indonesia is a 'single entry' visa.
"We have clarified that this is the procedure.
"A 'single entry' visa will first be issued and then the workers will undergo a medical examination and after all are approved, the Malaysian Immigration Department will issue a work permit," said Hermono.