High demand for domestic helpers

> Maid impasse critical as authorities yet to find solution

PETALING JAYA: The current Indonesian maid impasse could take a turn for the worse if the authorities fail to find a solution by year-end.

Malaysian Maid Employers Association (Mama) president Engku Fauzi Engku Muhsein said following the decision by the Indonesian government to stop sending maids by next year, the demand for them has since spiked.

“In February, the cost of bringing an Indonesian maid into the country through proper channels was RM14,000. Now it is RM16,000. It would not be surprising if it shoots up to RM20,000 by year-end ... such is the demand,” he told theSun yesterday.

Despite earlier reports and rising costs, Engku Fauzi said the authorities have yet to seek alternative measures to alleviate the situation.

“Nothing was done over the months. There were reports of Cambodia willing to send domestic helpers to the country but nothing has been signed or sealed till today.

“While the cost continues to increase due to the rising demand, there is also no guarantee on the current batch of Indonesian maids working in the country.

“For example, there have been numerous cases of such maids running off, thus costing the employers huge losses,” he said.

As such, he opined that the authorities should either seek to bring in maids from other source countries or reduce the dependency on foreign maids by training the local work force to undertake such duties.

“The authorities should be more sensitive towards the needs of the rakyat.

“This is because the domestic help sector is at a critical stage whereby middle income groups are unable to afford maids and that demand is way above supply.”