Build childcare centres, then no 'maid' problems
Su Hui HsingPublished: Jun 16, 2007 4:54 PM | Updated: Jan 29, 2008 6:21 PM
It is true that Malaysians in general have become very dependent on maids. Why is this so?
"Because we do not have proper childcare centres where parents can drop their kids to be well taken care of when they go to work," opined Seputeh MP Teresa Kok.
On the 'superficial' fears of maids from China, Teresa Kok says childcare centres are what we need. Domestic helpers could then become a thing of the past.
It is true that Malaysians in general have become very dependent on maids. Why is this so?
"Because we do not have proper childcare centres where parents can drop their kids to be well taken care of when they go to work," opined Seputeh MP Teresa Kok.
"This is one solution which should be seriously considered by the government as well as those in the private sector if we wish to lessen our over-dependence on domestic helpers," she told malaysiakini in an interview.
Queried for her comments on Wanita MCA chief Dr Ng Yen Yen's remarks against allowing maids from China to work in Malaysia because "Chinese maids have a tendency to snatch our husbands", Kok said that the root cause why we are so dependent on maids should be tackled first.
The MP said to put our woes of Chinese maids (whom Ng refers to as 'dragon ladies') snatching our husbands to rest, we might as well not employ maids at all but consider other solutions to our need for help with housework and childcare.
"To say that Chinese maids will snatch our husbands is superficial. Maids from other countries can snatch our husbands too," said Kok, ading that "what we need are quality childcare centres."
Low wages
"We have to ask ourselves the question: Will China girls come in to work for us for RM500? The low pay will open up channels for employment visas to be abused by employment agencies, the maids themselves, or human trafficking offenders," said Kok.
Low pay has been given to be one of the reasons why Indonesian and Filipina maids no longer want to work in Malaysia.
Often, reasons given by Malaysians for their dependence on domestic help are the lack of time or their refusal to do menial jobs. Foreign maids come in handy because they would help us do the tasks that we do not have time to do or do not want to do ourselves. And the amount we have to pay them, which is relatively low, makes it all the more attractive to hire a maid.
Kok also expressed concern on cases of employers violating the dignity of their maids which are not rare in the country.
"Under the system, maids are sometimes forced into a corner when they receive inhuman treatment by their employers but are unable to return to their home countries due the debts they owe to middlemen in getting a job," she said.
"It should be good news that Indonesians and Filipinas no longer need us as their source of income. Perhaps they have experienced a sense of awakening that they no longer want to be exploited to work for so little pay while having to subject their lives to the whim and fancy of their employers.
"At the same time, employers should examine their treatment towards their maids - whether they have treated them like human beings and rewarded their maids' time, effort and commitment with the fairest possible remuneration and benefits," Kok said.
Increase employment
The DAP parliamentarian said that not only does setting up more childcare centres alleviate the problem of dependence on maids, it also alleviates the problem of unemployment and low participation of women in the labour force.
"At the moment, only 47% of women are in the workforce but in the universities, there are more women than men. Where are these women? They are staying at home because of their children. If we can set up childcare centres, we can train women for the job and allow other women to go out to work. It is a win-win situation," she explained.
Instead of paying foreign workers, Kok said, we can help our own economy by providing more employment to local women.
"Setting up more quality childcare centres and training local women for the jobs in these centres is certainly a viable solution - until, of course, employers think that they can make more profits by hiring cheap foreign labour from sluggish economies to work in their childcare centres," she added.
"Because we do not have proper childcare centres where parents can drop their kids to be well taken care of when they go to work," opined Seputeh MP Teresa Kok.
"This is one solution which should be seriously considered by the government as well as those in the private sector if we wish to lessen our over-dependence on domestic helpers," she told malaysiakini in an interview. Queried for her comments on Wanita MCA chief Dr Ng Yen Yen's remarks against allowing maids from China to work in Malaysia because "Chinese maids have a tendency to snatch our husbands", Kok said that the root cause why we are so dependent on maids should be tackled first.
The MP said to put our woes of Chinese maids (whom Ng refers to as 'dragon ladies') snatching our husbands to rest, we might as well not employ maids at all but consider other solutions to our need for help with housework and childcare.
"To say that Chinese maids will snatch our husbands is superficial. Maids from other countries can snatch our husbands too," said Kok, ading that "what we need are quality childcare centres." Low wages
"We have to ask ourselves the question: Will China girls come in to work for us for RM500? The low pay will open up channels for employment visas to be abused by employment agencies, the maids themselves, or human trafficking offenders," said Kok.
Low pay has been given to be one of the reasons why Indonesian and Filipina maids no longer want to work in Malaysia.
Often, reasons given by Malaysians for their dependence on domestic help are the lack of time or their refusal to do menial jobs. Foreign maids come in handy because they would help us do the tasks that we do not have time to do or do not want to do ourselves. And the amount we have to pay them, which is relatively low, makes it all the more attractive to hire a maid.
Kok also expressed concern on cases of employers violating the dignity of their maids which are not rare in the country.
"Under the system, maids are sometimes forced into a corner when they receive inhuman treatment by their employers but are unable to return to their home countries due the debts they owe to middlemen in getting a job," she said. "It should be good news that Indonesians and Filipinas no longer need us as their source of income. Perhaps they have experienced a sense of awakening that they no longer want to be exploited to work for so little pay while having to subject their lives to the whim and fancy of their employers.
"At the same time, employers should examine their treatment towards their maids - whether they have treated them like human beings and rewarded their maids' time, effort and commitment with the fairest possible remuneration and benefits," Kok said.
Increase employment
The DAP parliamentarian said that not only does setting up more childcare centres alleviate the problem of dependence on maids, it also alleviates the problem of unemployment and low participation of women in the labour force.
"At the moment, only 47% of women are in the workforce but in the universities, there are more women than men. Where are these women? They are staying at home because of their children. If we can set up childcare centres, we can train women for the job and allow other women to go out to work. It is a win-win situation," she explained. Instead of paying foreign workers, Kok said, we can help our own economy by providing more employment to local women.
"Setting up more quality childcare centres and training local women for the jobs in these centres is certainly a viable solution - until, of course, employers think that they can make more profits by hiring cheap foreign labour from sluggish economies to work in their childcare centres," she added.
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