PETALING JAYA: Domestic helpers should not be summarily categorised as a privilege of the wealthy as there are many M40 families where both husband and wife work long hours, says Wanita MCA.

       Its national chairman Datuk Heng Seai Kie said there are many households where both husband and wife hold full-time jobs, while being the main caregivers for their ageing parents, whose movements or mental capacity have usually slowed or are impaired by one medical issue or another.

       “Simultaneously, working parents also tend to their children, be they newborns or primary and secondary schoolgoing children,” she said, adding that having the right domestic help goes a long way in alleviating the pressures of household chores and enabling work-life balance for working couples.

       “This would be healthy for both working parents while encouraging family relationships to grow,” she said in a statement yesterday in response to a report in The Star that recruitment fees for foreign domestic helpers may hit an astronomical RM25,000.

       Heng said Wanita MCA is of the stand that recruitment fees for foreign domestic workers should be capped at RM20,000, inclusive of Covid-19 tests and quarantine fees.

       She said the reported RM25,000 is too hefty a fee and would burden many families in the M40 group.

       In urging the Human Resource Ministry to set a ceiling price on this recruitment fee, she said the government should also consider allowing maids from other countries besides Indonesia as a move to reduce over-reliance on one source country.

       “The memorandum of understanding between Malaysia and Indonesia on maid recruitment had requested Putrajaya set a minimum wage of RM1,500 for its citizens working here.

       “This amount is higher than Malaysia’s RM1,200 minimum wage.

       “In a competitive free market, the government could consider allowing more hired help from other countries.

       “Wanita MCA is also concerned that when employers have to bear such hefty recruitment charges, they may in turn want to extract as much labour out of their workers as possible.

       “Even worse, the employer may turn abusive, or exploit their domestic help by compelling her to toil in more than one home,” she said, adding that employers must be reasonable too in dealing with their household help to enable a harmonious outcome for all.

       Employers and agencies have cried foul over the recent increase in recruitment fees for domestic help, which is further compounded by the added costs for compulsory Covid-19 tests and quarantines.