ASSOCIATION CALLS ON INDONESIA TO EXPEDITE MoU ON MAIDS

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 22 (Bernama) -- The Indonesian government should expedite the
signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Malaysia on sending maids
here to ensure they are protected by law and not abused.

President of the Malaysian Association of Foreign Maid Agencies (PAPA), Alwi
Bavutty, said the MOU would allow maids to enter Malaysia legally.

He said the Indonesian goverment should look into the matter seriously as
continued delay in finalising the MoU was contributing to maids entering the
country illegally due to the ban imposed by the republic in June, 2009.

"The MOU is the best way to solve problems such as illegal workers and abuse
cases, even though the number of cases is not high," he said when asked to
comment on the delay in signing the MOU.

On Tuesday, Indonesia's Labour and Transmigration Minister Muhaimin Iskandar
announced that prospective maids from the country would be banned from leaving
for Malaysia until the Indonesian goverment could assure their safety.

His statement came in the wake of Indonesian maid Winfaedah, 26, who hails from
Lampung, reported to have been physically and sexually abused by her employer
and his wife for months before being dumped by the roadside in Nibong Tebal.

Alwi said the signing of the MOU could ensure the maids would be properly
protected by law, with proper registration.

On the abuse of Winfaedah, he said such cases should be prevented from happening
and that foreign workers should be protected no matter whether they were here
legally or illegally.

"There are some Indonesian maids who came to Malaysia on social visit passes and
decided to work here without following the formal procedures. Maybe they prefer
Malaysia because of the environment, culture and also the short distance to
Malaysia compared to other countries," he added.

He said the association supported the plan under the Economic Transformation
Programme (ETP) to make it compulsory for all foreign workers to be insured.

In fact, PAPA had arranged a special insurance scheme for maids of its members
with better coverage and cheaper premium compared to many other schemes, he
added.
-- BERNAMA