KUALA LUMPUR: Timor Leste is exploring the possibility of sending domestic maids to Malaysia, its Ambassador Juvencio Da Jesus Martins said Friday.He said an employment agency here met him recently to propose bringing in maids from his country as there was a high demand for foreign maids in Malaysia.
Martins said he would inform the Timor Leste government of the proposal.
“This involves approvals from the two governments. I am going to raise the matter with my government and if there is a green light from Dili, we will try to discuss the matter with the Malaysian government,” he told Bernama.
In fact, he said, the matter was first mooted in 2005 during discussions between the then Timor Leste foreign minister and current president, Jose Manuel Ramos-Horta, with former Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar on the possibility of sending about 10,000 domestic maids to Malaysia.
“However, there was no progress on the matter after that. But I think the matter is still relevant as there is still high demand, especially from non-Muslim families, for maids in this country,” he said.
Malaysia currently employs about 320,000 legal foreign maids, mostly from Indonesia, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Cambodia and Thailand. But the problem in sourcing maids occurred after the Indonesian government stopped sending maids to Malaysia in June, 2009.
The former Portuguese colony, which gained independence in May 2002, has about a 1.2 million population, comprising 98% Christians, with the rest being Muslims and Buddhists.
“Since there are also Muslims in Timor Leste, we can also identify Muslim maids for Malaysian Muslim families. If we can get all the approvals, Malaysia will be the first country for our maids going overseas,” Martins said.
He said that there would be many benefits if maids were sourced from Timor Leste. These included the distance between the two countries, similar languages as they can speak in Indonesian and English which are the working languages there, and reasonable wages.
“Besides that, by providing employment to our people, it will help in reducing the unemployment rate in our country. The remittances will help our economy and those recruited as maids will also gain experience,” he said. -- Bernama
tunku : we welcome Timor Leste proposal to send maid to Malaysia.government should not delay with the offer from them.most of indonesian maids are giving problems here.at least we will have alternative and Timor Leste can provide that.we hope the agents won't charge very high fees as what they are charging now.
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2 comments:
I want to see a real positive progress in providing maid to potential employer as simple as:
1. Walk into "agency" that operate like a bank. Fill the form and apply.
2. Waiting for approval.
3. Request for a maid is approved.
4. Pick up the maid at the "agency".
NOTE1: Muslim maid is for muslim employer only. Non-muslim maid is for non-muslim employer.Cross religious employment for maid should not be allowed.
NOTE2:Red tape should be reduced. Process should be made more simpler.
NOTE3: Employer should act also as a sponsor for the maid. They are answerable to the government.
NOTE4: "Agency" should be government established agency like CIDB. Current private agency only interested in profit and further more abusing the potential employer with various charges.
For our level of per capita income we are too dependent of foreign labour. We have in many ways taken on the life style of a rich man without the substance. Look at all those countries that are dependent on foreign labour. They are all are high income countries. At our level of per capitia income we we have no business to import labour and may be the only country in the world so dependent on foreign labour to the extent we are.Ramalx
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