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Direct recruitment of Indonesian maids eliminate hefty fees

Posted: 06 Sep 2011 08:40 PM PDT

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) today expressed support for the government's policy to allow Malaysians to recruit Indonesian maids directly.

Its vice-president, S. Balasubramaniam, said both the Malaysian employers and the maids would benefit greatly because the move would eliminate the middlemen agents who he claimed charged hefty fees.

He was commenting on the statement by the Indonesian Embassy's minister- counsellor for information, social and cultural affairs, Suryana Sastradiredja, that direct recruitment of Indonesian domestic helpers was in contempt of Indonesian laws.

Balasubramaniam told Bernama it was wrong for the Indonesian embassy to put the blame squarely on the Malaysian government since it was the Indonesian agents who were "dragging their feet and had yet to implement the MoU signed between both countries three months ago".

Under such circumstances, he said, it was only right for the government to allow direct recruitment.

He said the agents charged between RM8,000 and RM12,000, and this was a big burden on an average Malaysian household which could ill-afford such high fees.

Moreover, he said, part of the fees were to be deducted from the maid's salary, which in some instances amounted to about six months.

"To work for six months without any pay is a totally unacceptable practice and is against all human ethics," he said.

Balasubramaniam pointed out that bringing in maids was much cheaper and the employers, instead of paying the agents, could pay the maids a bigger salary.

He said that almost 99.9 per cent of Malaysian employers were humane and kind to their maids and the Indonesian authorities had nothing to be worried about.

"Mistreatment of maids is rare and far between, and is usually blown out of proportion by the media," he said. -- BERNAMA

'Mat Indera was never vindicated'

Posted: 06 Sep 2011 11:19 AM PDT

2011/09/07
By Ahmad Fairuz Othman and Syed Umar Ariff
news@nst.com.my

JOHOR BARU: Ahmad Indera or Mat Indera has never been officially vindicated as an independence fighter in the book Pengukir Nama Johor.

However, its publisher, Yayasan Warisan Johor is leaving the matter up to interpretation as the article on Mat Indera was written by then YWJ assistant director for integrity, Ismail Adnan, who had presented his arguments based on academic research.

In a statement yesterday, YWJ director Muhamad Fuad Radzuan said to ensure the topic was open for discussion, another article in the book by Sahgidon Dirhan portrayed Mat Indera as a communist terrorist.

"Another article in the same book, entitled 'Bajuri Haji Siraj', by Sahgidon Dirhan, stated that Mat Indera was a Malay communist leader who had committed terrorism and atrocities to his own people.

"Therefore, the book Pengukir Nama Johor is a compilation of studies by individual researchers and writers even though it (their writings) may lead to controversy.

"It is up to the community, specifically historians, to interpret and evaluate. It is feared that interpretation from those who are ignorant may confuse the community."

The book is the third of its kind published in Johor to commemorating Merdeka Day in 2004. The book recorded biographies of prominent local figures. The first, Pejuang Terbilang Johor, was published in 2002 and the second book, Tokoh Ternama Johor, in 2003.

The publication was a project under Pewaris -- the Johor Historical Heritage Research and Literature Project. It involved researchers and writers who were trained by academicians from public higher learning institutions in the country.

Fuad said the purpose of the books was to gather information about prominent local figures from various backgrounds and fields.

"YWJ gave freedom to the researchers and writers in presenting their findings, with the hope that their research will spur other writers to expand the information in their writings in order to make it more comprehensive."

YWJ is better known for its stable of musicians, dancers and artistes, who promote the state's culture through stage performance or at official events. However, it has a lesser-known function as an archiver of historical manuscripts.

Meanwhile, Johor Local Government, Housing, Works and Public Amenities Committee chairman Datuk Ahmad Zahri Jamil said there had been too much polemics following the news report of Mohamad Sabu's statement about the Bukit Kepong communist attack but he didn't elaborate further.

Kredit: www.nst.com.my

Selasa, 6 September 2011

NST Online: Topnews

NST Online: Topnews

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