‘Abusive bosses hurt our image’

At the dewan rakyat

EMPLOYERS should be mindful that treating foreign workers badly will tarnish the reputation of the whole country, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

He said the repercussions will not be limited to employers.

“Don’t think that what you (em­­ployers) do will not affect the country’s image,” he during the question and answer session at the Dewan Rakyat.

He said what was done to Indo­nesian maid Adelina Lisao was regrettable.

“We condemn such actions and I am sure lawmakers from both sides of the political divide will agree to this.

“We sympathise with her family and hope the Indonesian government will understand the stand of the Malaysian Government and the lawmakers here that we will not condone such acts,” he said.

S. Ambika, 59, was recently charged with murdering Adelina at her Taman Kota Permai house in Bukit Mertajam.

Her daughter was charged with hiring Adelina despite knowing the latter had no valid work permit.

Adelina, 21, died at the Bukit Mertajam Hospital on Feb 11 after being rescued a day earlier from the house, where she was found sleeping on the porch with a Rottweiler.

She had wounds on her body and died of multiple organ failure.

Dr Ahmad Zahid said the Govern­ment was very serious in cases of abuse and torture of any worker.

He said every worker had rights and the police had acted swiftly in this case.

The move also brought a positive reaction from the Indonesian go­­vernment, said Dr Ahmad Zahid, who is also the Home Minister.

He reminded Malaysians not to employ maids through illegal channels.

To a supplementary question by M. Kulasegaran (DAP-Ipoh Barat) on mechanisms to ensure maids get paid on time, Dr Ahmad Zahid said discussions were being held to address the matter.

The Government has implemented the e-wallet system where it is compulsory for an employer to credit the salary into the worker’s account directly.

“We are having detailed discussions with the stakeholders to ensure all registered employers use this payment method,” he said.