It is a bombshell truth that some Malaysian employers have redefined cruelty, as seen from the brutality meted out to their domestic helpers.
In 2004, Malaysia was stunned with the revelation that an Indonesian domestic worker, Nirmala Bonat had suffered torture, scalded with boiling hot water and burnt with a hot iron by her employer, Yim Pek Ha. Yim is currrently serving 12 years in jail for causing grievous hurt to Nirmala.
In 2004, Malaysia was stunned with the revelation that an Indonesian domestic worker, Nirmala Bonat had suffered torture, scalded with boiling hot water and burnt with a hot iron by her employer, Yim Pek Ha. Yim is currrently serving 12 years in jail for causing grievous hurt to Nirmala.
Then in 2010, Hau Yuan Tyng was convicted of inflicting wounds on her domestic helper Siti Hajar using a hammer, scissors and scalding water.
The abuse continued with Indonesian citizen Suyanti allegedly slapped and punched every day by her employer Rozita Ali in 2016. She managed to escape and was found unconscious near a drain by a security guard. Her employer was charged with attempted murder.
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maid Suyanti allegedly slapped and punched every day by her employer Rozita Ali |
A furious Indonesia decided it was time to teach a recalcitrant Malaysia the much needed lesson – the former imposed a moratorium and pulled the plug on sending its domestic workers to Malaysia in 2009.
It was only after much pleading from Malaysia that the ban was lifted in 2011.
Malaysia, however, seems to have taken Indonesia’s goodwill for granted and ignored the much needed lessons brought on by the 2009 moratorium.
Indonesia’s news portal (Sindo News) recently reported that Jakarta is once again mulling a full stop to its nationals being sent to Malaysia as domestic workers following the recent death of Indonesian Adelina Lisao, 26, who was allegedly abused at her employer’s house in Bukit Mertajam, Penang.
It was only after much pleading from Malaysia that the ban was lifted in 2011.
Malaysia, however, seems to have taken Indonesia’s goodwill for granted and ignored the much needed lessons brought on by the 2009 moratorium.
Indonesia’s news portal (Sindo News) recently reported that Jakarta is once again mulling a full stop to its nationals being sent to Malaysia as domestic workers following the recent death of Indonesian Adelina Lisao, 26, who was allegedly abused at her employer’s house in Bukit Mertajam, Penang.
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Adelina Lisao (right) and her employer (left) |
Enough is enough. Let us stop employing maids from Indonesia, Philippines, Cambodia, etc, or anywhere else save from Malaysia itself.
We have demonstrated we are not responsible caring humane employers, and indeed as described above, have been and are exceedingly cruel to foreign hired help.
One word to describe us Malaysian employers - BASTARDS or if you're female BITCHES.
I've witnessed with my own two eyes and heard with my own two ears how unfeelingly arrogant and cruel some people have been to foreign maids, treating them not as human beings but as work animals.
And worse, they allowed their children to behave towards the maids like them their cruel parents, those bloody ill-mannered wicked brats.
Our cruelty has not been confined to one particular race among Malaysian employers, though frankly speaking, I personally have read more of Chinese employers being the c*b** culprits.
I am aware of even worse cruelty (unimaginable as this might sound) in Arab countries. Filipino maids have been the major victims while previously I have read of Rizana Nafeek, a young Sri Lankan teenager decapitated in Saudi Arabia for allegedly strangulating her employers' 4-month child when the truth was the infant accidentally choked on milk.
A Celebration of Women reported:
On 22 May 2005, while Rizana was feeding the child, he started choking. Panicking, she tried to soothe the child by rubbing his chest, neck and face, while shouting for help. Hearing her shouts the mother came running, but by that time the baby was either unconscious or dead. The family handed Rizana over to the police, accusing her of strangling the baby. At the police station there was no translator so she did not understand the charges brought against her. Rizana was made to sign a confession and later charges were filed in court of murder by strangulation.
Earlier she spent seven years in Saudi jails as she was accused, charged, convicted and sentenced to death for the alleged murder without any lawyer to represent her interests. Legal defence in those Arab countries would usually be bloody useless anyway.
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Beheading of Rizana Nafeek |
Rizana Nafeek was only 17 years old when she was charged with the alleged murder. The Saudi authorities ignored International law, accepted as binding by Saudi Arabia, that it is unlawful to execute someone who was under 18 years old when they allegedly committed a crime.
The Saudi government then showed its lack of diplomatic respect even when the President of Sri Lanka made a personal appeal for clemency. If the Americans had appealed those Arabs would have given in.
But I don't and can't accept the argument that in other countries the employers ill treated their maids far worse than Malaysians. I am only interested in a just, fair, kind and humane Malaysia.
Stop this employment scheme. If you want maids, hire locals. If you can't, tough luck. We MUST end our very shameful series of cruelty towards the very people who need our kindness most.
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Malaysian employers of foreign maids |
This is equivalent to call for banning usage if private cars because some drivers drive so recklessly their cars are clise murder weapons.
ReplyDeleteI for one fully support strict prosecution of the perpetrators and stern penalties if they are found guilty after due process.
However, given the poor availability of proper childcare as well as care for the elderly in this country, what Ktemoc demands would have a devastating short term effect on the country's economy, participation of women in the workforce as well as family incomes.
It would take years to build up the necessary level of childcare in the country, assuming the political will exists, which is doubtful, unless a Dedak-ised system is created.
Heck, childcare costs are not even tax deductible in Malaysia.
maids are or were human beings not motorcars
Deleteto assert foreign maids would have a devastating short term effect on the country's economy is bullshit
Hmmm! I wonder how parents in the developed countries manage without maids to take care of their children, wipe their bums for them and so forth.
DeleteWhy is the Malaysian middle class so helpless and are so dependent on maids whom they overwork and worse still, some abuse them like the southern white slave owners in the United States mistreated and brutalised their slaves.
This is a nouveau riche syndorme of people who have just tasted some wealth.
If Malaysian woman don't know how to care for their children themselves, then that's a problem.
Bullcrap from an Aussie who doesn't know the childcare situation in Malaysia.
DeleteHis arrogance in making big opinions with ignorance is amazing.
This Australian obviously does not know any Malaysian working parents with children, or had a conversation with them about the subject child care.
Delete"I wonder how parents in the developed countries manage without maids to take care of their children"...
DeleteIt's called a comprehensive child care system, part of it run by the State, part of it with the private sector.
Australia has one, but ignorant Ktemoc didn't know.
Malaysia does not have one. Child care is not even tax deductible in Malaysia.
It's either that , or women's participation in the workforce will diminish greatly.
Most Malaysian middle class are dual-income families. It is getting increasingly more difficult to depend solely on the man to bring home the bacon, thus the wife cannot quit her job to be full time housewife. This situation is made worse should they have ailing and disabled parent/s staying with them. So having a helper maid is crucial and a necessity, not a luxury.
DeleteHow much nowadays to hire a foreign maid ? I did a quick survey : The maid agency charges a RM 15,000 to RM 18,000 upfront fees to bring in a maid, with the Filipino maid being paid the highest with a monthly salary of USD 400 per month ( about RM 1600 per month at current rate of exchange ) for the first 2 years. Food and lodging of course are provided and also all others like shampoo, soap, toothpaste, footwear, uniform ( or work clothes ), underwear, etc are provided too. This does not yet include medical fees to be paid by the employer too should there be the occasional visits to the clinics for the maid. According to feedback, the estimated total amount effective to pay for hiring a foreign help per month is RM 2850. This does not include new levy fees for the 2nd year of employment and the fee (borne by employer too ) for the renewal of their passport, which costs about RM 1000 plus. If the maid were to run away for whatever reason or decided to go back for good due to personal urgent reasons before end of contract, it seemed the employer have to fork out RM 750 to govt agencies !
From the above feedback, wouldn't it be much cheaper and easier to hire local help ? Why aren't this happening ? Well, it seemed such tasks are considered beneath our local people even if they were paid RM 3000 per month for stay-in help. There are simply no takers for domestic help in this country.( This is somewhat like the plantations and construction sectors where the locals absolutely shun such tasks and the employers have to resort to hiring Bangladeshi, Myanmarese, Indonesians etc ).
There are currently about 400,000 foreign maids working in the country and indeed, should there be a total ban for hiring foreign maids, it " would have a devastating short term effect on the country's economy, participation of women in the workforce as well as family incomes" as so well put by Monsterball !
Ktemoc and his like-minded commentator/s are just too sweeping and lacking in empathy for the plight of the average families here. Mind you, I also noted in this mini survey that the employers, mostly the wife, after coming back from the work, upon reaching home, have to 'assist' the maid in the house too...perish the thought that she will get a respite after a grueling day at work and be served hand and foot the moment she reaches home ! And, get this...Sunday is day off for the maid ( it's mandatory ) and it is usually the wife who has to do the housework and to mind the children on that day !
From the feedback, most of them valued their maids and believe in the give-and-take principles; and they were equally aghast at the rare cases of horrendous abuse that resulted in death. They were also worried that such reports of abuse and death, although not rampant, would again result in another hue and cry to ban maids all together.
Perhaps, in view of the rapid advance of technology, in tandem with autonomous cars and autonomous cleaning devices in the home, perhaps the solution would come soon with the autonomous AI maids !
"From the feedback, most of them valued their maids and believe in the give-and-take principles; and they were equally aghast at the rare cases of horrendous abuse that resulted in death. They were also worried that such reports of abuse and death, although not rampant, would again result in another hue and cry to ban maids all together."
DeleteTrue, many families treat their maids well and value their services too but I know of quite a few who make their maids do everything, including wash the car, walk the dog and so forth.
I am Malaysian and live in Malaysia,so I'm quite familiar with how different families treat their maids.
I don't have a maid personally but sometimes engage the services of a freelance maid to clean the house. After that, besides paying them, I usually treat them to lunch and then drive them home.
"Perhaps, in view of the rapid advance of technology, in tandem with autonomous cars and autonomous cleaning devices in the home, perhaps the solution would come soon with the autonomous AI maids !"
Honda Asimo would make a good maid or butler.
There's a video about robots in Japan where a man regards his robotic vacuum cleaner as his pet, gave it a name and even talks to it.