INDONESIAN MAID PROBLEM NEARING SETTLEMENT

PUTRAJAYA, May 18 (Bernama) -- The long-standing issue of sending Indonesian
maids to Malaysia is nearing settlement with the signing by both countries of a
letter of intent on the terms of their employment, which include a day off a
week.

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, who had a four-eye meeting with
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono here Tuesday, said both sides were
still negotiating the minimum wage issue.

"Only one letter of intent was signed relating to manpower...among others,
it requires Malaysian employers to give their Indonesian workers a day off a
week.

"However, if both sides agree, and the worker does not want to take the day
off, he or she will be paid, commensurate with the salary," he told a media
conference after the 90-minute meeting at his office here.

The letter of intent also stipulates that the worker should retain his or
her passport unless both parties agree that it be kept by the employer.


A memorandum of understanding (MoU) is expected to follow in two months to
enable the sending of Indonesian maids, which was stopped in June last year, to
resume.

Indonesia had temporarily suspended the sending of maids to Malaysia and
both countries are currently negotiating a new MoU on the sending of Indonesian
workers in the informal the sector.

Besides the minimum wage, the high cost of sending the workers here (about
RM8,000) is also a problem for Indonesian maids and their employers in Malaysia.
There are about 300,000 Indonesian maids working in Malaysia.

Najib said that in the spirit of cooperation, Malaysia also agreed to
Indonesia's request to increase the number of Indonesian teachers teaching the
children of Indonesian workers in Sabah but he did not mention the number.

The Malaysian government had earlier given the nod for Indonesia to send its
teachers to teach the children of plantation workers in Sabah at learning
centres, especially those in the interior areas where there are many Indonesian
workers.

To accommodate the increase, employers, especially private-sector
employers,
would provide appropriate space for the children of their plantation workers to
be taught by Indonesian teachers in their own curriculum, he said, adding that
these places need not be special buildings for schools.

Najib said they also agreed to fund the exchange of trainees or officers
pursuing training or studies at the defence universities in Malaysia and
Indonesia.

President Bambang arrived here Tuesday for the consultation and is scheduled
to speak at the World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) Wednesday.

-- BERNAMA