Maid freeze due to 'misunderstanding', talks being held with Indonesia to resolve issue, says Hamzah

KUALA LUMPUR: Talks between Malaysia and Indonesia to resolve the domestic worker conundrum are ongoing, with a resolution of the issue expected in the coming days, says Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin.

The Home Minister said the Immigration Department and the Human Resources Ministry were currently in discussions with Indonesia to resolve certain “misunderstandings” surrounding the issue.

“There are certain misunderstandings of the issue caused by “communication breakdowns” and both the Human Resources Ministry and the Immigration Department are having talks with Indonesia to ensure that this matter can be settled as soon as possible.

“We want this matter to be resolved swiftly. There are some detailed things that need to be ironed out,” said Hamzah at a press conference at Bukit Aman on Monday (July 18).

Last week, Indonesia issued a temporary freeze on the sending of migrant workers into Malaysia.

It is understood that Indonesia was not satisfied with Malaysia's continuous usage of the Sistem Maid Online (SMO) recruitment method to hire maids - which it said was a breach of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by both countries in April.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had called on the Human Resources Ministry and the Home Ministry to resolve the matter as soon as possible, to avoid a further altercation with Indonesia.

When asked if Malaysia is prepared to do away with SMO, Hamzah said this needs to be discussed with Indonesia.

“Some maid agencies and associations said we should do away with SMO. But what does the general public say? Do they agree with these agencies?

“Do not just listen to one side, we need to listen to all.

“There are some things that need to be ironed out here, so let’s wait for the discussions with Indonesia to conclude,” said Hamzah.

Also present at the press conference was Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan.

Earlier, both ministers co-chaired a meeting on the management of foreign workers.