Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Maids Issue To Be Resolved by April..

I've said it many times before and I'll say it again -- have a long-term plan on reliable and affordable domestic care support services for working women and households across the country so that we are not affected by this kind of situation.

The latest is a report quoting the Malaysian Maid Employers Association (Mama) that maids from Indonesia will start arriving within three months.
 Mama, according to the NST,  described as "successful" its meeting with Indonesia's Labour Supplier Association (Himsataki) on Monday.
Mama president Engku Ahmad Fauzi Engku Muhsein said both sides had agreed to find common grounds to end the long-standing issue.


This issue is close to my heart and I have written a lot about it.
Below  is my column that was published in the NST on Saturday Jan 11.

*****

IN this current deadlock with regard to the recruitment of foreign mai
ds, I feel lucky that I don't need one to help in the management of my home and life.

That's because both my children are above 18 -- one is studying in Ontario, Canada, and the other at a local university -- and no longer need supervision or care while I am at work.
But I remember the time when I needed a maid to care for them. Although I had an extended family -- parents and siblings living within an 8km radius -- having a maid was a necessity if only to better manage my life.

Sure, I could function without a maid but it meant some hardship as I would have to organise my schedule as well as my children's. A tough balancing act. Those days, you could get a maid easily but the recruitment procedures were embryonic and, therefore, tedious.

Read the rest of the article HERE.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

3years and 3 aprils have come and gone better for sumber manusia to make it into a comedy skit

manmanlai said...

Sister,all it needs are good planning,discipline and patience.The most distressing times is when you are carrying.

Hiring maids can be pleasant and a nightmare for parents,depending on whom you asked.You sure is a lucky gal now that your children are grownups.In a few more years you will be looking after your grandchildren,after your retirement.

the gaffe guy who knows said...

We have to screen the maids before they started working.But it is a wonder if they screen potential employers too.It is an open secret that many employers physically and sexually abused their maids.What a one sided world we live in,just like that lady Sharifah berating that poor girl.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

anon@7:41PM: good idea...it's a long-standing comedy, actually.

manmanlai: indeed. i agree.

gaffeguy: i'm not sure about that open secret. I know that there are MORE bad maids than there are bad employers. The employers that we know who abused their maids do not represent the whole lot of Malaysian employers. In fact i know of SO MANY cases of maids who are really really bad and of many employers who are so good to their maids.

As for that sharifah "listenlisten" lady -- well... there are many people like that. and I wouldn't let off bavani that easily...she was no better in the way she was making her points. they were both like two mad politicians .....