No Indonesian Domestic Maids

Finally, the Indonesia government reacted by banning Indonesian maids to work in Malaysia. Individually, Indonesians can on their own apply to Malaysian employer on a direct basis to work in Malaysia. Hence, how effective this government ban will be, only time will tell. Many unemployed Indonesian ladies would work to circumvent this official ban. After all, there are many illegal Indonesians working in Malaysia. In fact, illegal Indonesians constitute the largest group of illegal workers in this country. The ban may only be good on paper.

With the Indonesia government facing an election year trying to be popular, decision made can puzzle the outsiders. This ban on Indonesian maids to work in Malaysia is one classical example. All right thinking Malaysians condemns employers who abused their maid. The abusive employer is to be found in every part of the world, not just among Malaysians. The ban would only serve Indonesian maids finding its way to work in Malaysia illegally. Then, when the employer becomes abusive, the illegal maid will be at the mercy of the abusive employer. The maid will then have to choose to report to the police and at the same time having its status of being an illegal worker be exposed. In short, the abusive employer may go scot-free since the employer is aware that the illegal maid may not seek legal recourse.

Indonesia media enjoy Malaysia bashing. Apparently, this is popular among the rakyat in Indonesia. On the other hand, the Malaysia media have been rather professional in their reporting of the countless crime committed by Indonesian workers in this country. It is the Malaysia media who should be doing Indonesia bashing considering the countless suffering inflicted on Malaysians by Indonesian criminals in Malaysia.

Any rational Malaysian would want to see a cordial relationship between Malaysia and Indonesia. Malaysia subscribes to the concept of prosper-thy-neighbour. When our neighbours are doing well, we gain by investments, by trade and by the inflow of tourists. When they have problem, we inherit part of the problem. The annual haze that we are subjected to because of the open burning in Indonesia is a classical example. It is the same with hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants coming from Indonesia because of the poor employment prospect in their own country. In general, no Malaysians look down on the Indonesian workers. In fact, most Malaysians have a lot of sympathy and understanding of Indonesians working in our country. It is a few bad Indonesian apples and a small group of abusive Malaysian employers that served to strain an otherwise cordial relationship between Indonesia and Malaysia.

Meanwhile, Malaysian employers may have to look to other alternative sources for their household maids. Maybe the government should introduce minimum wage for Malaysian maids working in Malaysia. This may partially solve the problem of homegrown domestic maids.

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印尼政府宣布终于发出声明，禁止输出印尼女佣来马。尽管如此，该国女佣还是可以个别向大马雇主直接申请，以来马工作。所以，印尼政府的禁令是否有效，时间将会说明一切。相信该国许多失业的女性将设法规避官方禁令，别忘了还有很多印尼外劳非法逗留在大马。事实上，在我国的非法外劳当中，印尼非法外劳的人数最庞大。

随着印尼即将面对全国大选，该政府试图讨人民欢心而作出一些外人困惑难解的决定，禁止印尼女佣来马工作就是一个典型的例子。虐待女佣的大马雇主都面对众人严厉谴责。但事实上，除了大马，世界各国都有虐待女佣的坏雇主。印尼政府的禁令只会迫使让印尼女佣非法入境来马工作。非法工作的女佣一旦遭到虐待，一般上都会受制于雇主，选择向警方举报的话等于自揭非法入境罪行。由于非法女佣不敢诉诸法律，最终，这些坏心的雇主将继续逍遥法外。

印尼的媒体都喜欢攻击大马，这种手法也显然深受印尼人民欢迎。相反的，大马媒体很专业地报道印尼劳工在我国的罪案事件。其实，鉴于印尼劳工引发罪案频频，造成无数大马人民受苦，大马媒体更应该严厉声讨对方。

理智的大马人民都希望马印有友好的关系。马大赞同诸邻国繁荣昌盛利于我国的概念，邻国成就非凡，我国也能从投资、经贸和旅游活动中受惠。反之，若它们面对问题，我们也深受牵连。印尼公开焚烧活动导致烟霾每年狂袭大马就是最佳的例子；该国不明朗的就业前景导致数以万计的印尼非法移民涌入我国是另一个例子。

大马人没有轻视印尼工人。事实上，大多数大马人都很同情及体谅在我国工作的印尼人。只是少数的印尼害群之马，以及小撮可恶的大马雇主坏了规矩，造成大马和印尼向来友好的关系紧张。

与此同时，大马的雇主们有必要考虑以其他女佣代替印尼女佣了。也许政府应落实最低工资政策，为本地女佣设定最低基薪，不但保障本地家庭女工的基本利益，这有助本缓和甚至解决他们所面对的部分问题。