KUALA LUMPUR, March 6 — The salary of foreign maids is to be paid by way of the e-wallet in the future, directly into their bank accounts, instead of the conventional or cash methods, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the matter had been discussed in-depth by the Home Ministry and the Ministry of Human Resources with the foreign missions concerned.

"We have had detailed discussions with the foreign missions on the need for all registered employers to use the same method of payment.

"I believe we have to migrate from the conventional methods as we progress to a developed nation. We should never allow anything bad to befall the (migrant) workers,” he said when replying to an oral question.

Ahmad Zahid, who is also the Home Minister, was replying to a question from M. Kulasegaran (DAP-Ipoh Barat) who had wanted to know whether the government would introduce a certain mechanism to ensure that the salary and allowances of domestic maids were paid monthly.

Ahmad Zahid explained that the e-wallet system required the employer to credit the salary into the worker’s account and the credit slip would be given to the worker.

He also said that 543,460 people had accessed the Maid Online portal to apply for foreign maids after the system was introduced early this year.

"The employers who successfully logged in numbered 10,604, the foreign maids registered numbered 1,903 and the foreign maid applications eligible for the Foreign Workers’ Medical Examination numbered 1,480,” he said.

He said that under the system, the employers were only required to pay between RM1,635 and RM2,535 as the compulsory cost which included the levy, permit, security deposit, processing fee and compound payment for holders of social visit passes.

He was responding to Datuk Seri Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz (BN-Tanah Merah) who wanted to know how far the direct hiring of foreign maids, without going through an agent, or online could fulfil the demand in the country, and public response to the government’s decision.

To a supplementary question from Shamsul  Iskandar @ Yusre Mohd Akin (PKR-Bukit Katil) who wanted to know whether direct hiring would ensure protection of the rights and welfare of foreign workers, Ahmad Zahid said the government had discussed with Indonesia’s Ambassador to Malaysia Rusdi Kirana to set up a monitoring system.

Meanwhile, he said he personally condemned as did the Malaysian government, the abuse of Indonesian maid Adelina Lisao, 28, who succumbed to her injuries in Penang on Feb 10. 

Such brutality by employers despite being a personal act, would invariably tarnish Malaysia’s image, he said.

A housewife, M. Ambika, 59, was charged at Bukit Mertajam Magistrate’s Court on Feb 21 with murdering Adelina on Feb 10.

The charge under Section 302 of the Penal Code carries the mandatory death sentence on conviction. — Bernama