Indonesia to phase out domestic helpers to Malaysia eventually

PETALING JAYA: Only 10 maids have been fully processed so far as Indonesia is not keen to send so many of them into the country, says Hermono.

The Indonesian Ambassador to Malaysia said his country was looking into phasing itself out as a source country for domestic helpers to Malaysia due to various issues.

Other than Malaysia, Hermono said Indonesia was also prioritising phasing out maids to Arab countries as well.

“Among the common issues faced by Indonesian maids in Malaysia are mistreatment and unpaid salaries.

“However, there is no specific year set for Indonesia to fully stop sending out maids,” he said when contacted.

On April 1, Malaysia and Indonesia signed a memorandum of understanding on the Employment and Protection of Indonesian Domestic Workers in Malaysia (MOU PDI).

Hermono said despite the signing of the MOU PDI, the pilot batch of maids was expected to arrive in mid-July.

“The delay is because they require training,” he said.

On May 31, it was reported that the placement of the first batch of Indonesian domestic workers into the country had been postponed.

A source from the Indonesian embassy said it received 3,000 job orders or demand letters from Malaysian agencies and that the data collection was still ongoing.

Last month, a news portal quoted Hermono as saying that the number of maids under the first batch depended on the job orders from Malaysian employment agencies and the issuing of work permits by the Immigration Department.

On April 12, Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan announced that about 10,000 maids were expected to arrive in the country after Hari Raya, following the signing of the MOU PDI in Jakarta.

The MOU outlines among others, workers weekly and annual leave entitlements, the right to communicate, a ban on withholding passports, an online complaint system and the rule on one maid per household not exceeding six people.