Malaysians to recruit maids from PNG

National, Normal

THE Malaysian Association of Foreign Maid Agencies (PAPA) has urged the government to consider recruiting maids from Papua New Guinea, Myanmar and Timor-Leste.
Its president Alwi Bavutty said this would ease the dependence on maids from Indonesia, Cambodia and the Philippines.
“We are submitting this proposal to the human resources ministry due to high demand for maids,” he told Bernama on Monday.
He was commenting on Human Resources Minister Dr S. Subramaniam’s statement that Malaysia and Indonesia were currently in talks to find a “middle path” in resolving the outstanding Indonesian maid salary issue after their previous discussions ended in a deadlock.
Mr Bavutty said maid agencies were allowed to recruit maids form Cambodia and the Philippines following the freeze on maid intake by the Indonesian government since the middle of last year.
Mr Bavutty said, however, Muslims were barred from employing non-Muslim maids from the two countries.
Supporting the government’s stand that maid salaries should be based on market forces as well as negotiations between employers and employees, he said it should be a win-win situation for both parties.
“Maids are getting at least RM500 (K417) a month. If their work is excellent, employers should raise their pay. Their qualifications should also be taken into consideration,” he added. – Bernama