11,650 Indonesian Maids Get Green Light to Work in Malaysia

SEPANG (Selangor,Malaysia), June 26 (Bernama) -- A total of 11,650 Indonesian nationals have received the green light to work as maids in Malaysia, according to Indonesian Embassy Labour Attache Agus Triyanto. However, he said they could only be brought into the country upon receiving the certificate of competency from the Indonesian Professional Certification Authority after completing 200 hours of training and complying with several other conditions agreed under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two countries. "Indonesia will not approve the deployment of its maid to any countries, including Malaysia, if they don't have the certificate of competency." He said this to reporters after receiving four Indonesian maids whose entries were managed by the National Association of Employment Agencies of Malaysia (PIKAP) at the Low Cost Carrier Terminal here on Monday. With the certificate, he said the maids would be required to do the work according to the trainings they received, including cleaning the house, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom and washing clothes. "They are not allowed to do other tasks as they do not have the expertise," he said. Agus said the four maids were the first batch of maids being brought in by PIKAP, while the second batch of eight others would be arriving soon. On May 30 last year, Malaysia and Indonesia had signed a protocol to amend the MoU on the Recruitment and Placement of Indonesian Maids 2006, by streamlining the provisions, especially those concerning protection and well-being for maids and their employers. Meanwhile PIKAP President Raja Zulkepley Dahalan said they were happy to be able to manage the entry of Indonesian maids according to the regulations stipulated in the MoU even though the number was small. He said PIKAP, which has 190 members, had been active in dealing with their partners in Indonesia to bring in more maids due to the high demands for maids in Malaysia. -- BERNAMA