Glitches on direct recruitment of maids from Cambodia need to be resolved first: Envoy

KUALA LUMPUR: A number of technical matters regarding hiring of Cambodian maids directly without going through an agent need to be resolved before it can be implemented, said Malaysian Ambassador to Cambodia Datuk Seri Hasan Malek (pix).
He said among them was the provision of training, salary approval and validation and approval of the national authorities in allowing the implementation of the re-employment programme, which stalled in 2011.
"The two governments are in the process of resolving the problems and technical issues that are expected to be finalised in the near future. The soonest by early next year," he said when met by Bernama recently.
In 2011, the Cambodian government banned its citizens working as maids in Malaysia following reports of some employers abusing maids in the country.
But in late 2015, Malaysia and Cambodia signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to resume sending maids to Malaysia, which is expected to commence in January.
In the 2018 Budget recently, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak said the government was giving employers the option to recruit foreign domestic workers directly from nine source countries without going through an agent due to the heavy costs incurred by households for the employment of foreign maids.
Najib said apart from that, employers can also apply for maid visas from the Immigration Department online, paying the levy and processing fees according to existing rates.
Commenting on that, Hasan, who is also the Member of Parliament for Kuala Pilah, said Cambodian maids would undergo training for at least a month, including studying Malaysian culture as well as learning basic Malay and English before coming to Malaysia.
Touching on tourism, Hasan, who was former Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister, said that this year, 130,000 Malaysians travelled to the country that at one time was renowned for the atrocities of the Pol Pot regime.
"Cambodia is an example of Malaysia's success in helping the Southeast Asian country develop and progress after facing hardship Pol Pot's cruel era. Malaysians were sent to explore Cambodian business opportunities and help boost its economy.
"Ninety-five per cent of Malaysians investing in Cambodia have succeeded in various sectors including construction, banking, agriculture, communications, tourism and services.
Hence, my job as an ambassador is much easier because Malaysian investors have a good relationship with Cambodia, especially in business," said Hasan who was appointed Ambassador to Cambodia since March 2016. — Bernama