BN failure: Both need to work to survive - a lower quality of life

We have been talking about the rising cost of getting and maintaining domestic workers, but the question that we must be asking is why do we have to even resort to domestic workers.

The answer simply is that the Malaysian government has FAILED in improving the standards and quality of life. It has kept wages low, and not done much to keep the cost of living down - hence today it has become near impossible to exist as a sole-bread-winner family. Both husband and wife, (or both parents) have to work and earn to make ends meet.

And when this happens, then the question is who will be looking after the children at home.

Answer: Domestic Worker. And after some time, the domestic worker in the home is no more a luxury - but a NEED. Today, there are more than 320,000 foreign Domestic Workers [we really do not have figures for local domestic workers - part-time or full-time]

For me, an increased quality of life would be families where only one parent need to go out and work. The need for BOTH to work is not development - certainly not an improvement of the quality of life. The absence of the parent/s most of the day, earning for the survival of the family has and will also impact on the quality of family life, and also the children...

There are ways and means of reducing dependencies on the Domestic Worker - and in this time where the price of fuel is increasing, the cost of food going-up and the overall cost of living going-up, the government should step in with solutions. Cheaper domestic workers are not the solution definitely.

In the interim, there maybe should be creche and child-care facilities in the work-place.

There must also be available good affordable day-care facilities.

Maybe, even school hours should be re-evaluated so that both working parent and school children will leave for school/work at the same time and return at the same time.

The government of the day must admit its failure in improving the quality of life of its people - and the most important aspect in measuring quality of life - is the quality of family life.

Even, with the question of domestic workers, if we were to properly analyze, it is the government here (and the sending countries) that have allow all this agency fees and other payments to increase to so high a sum - making it even more difficult for the worker and the employer (the Malaysian family).

BN, you kept wages down -- forcing now both spouses to work just to SURVIVE (not to enjoy or enjoy a better quality of life)... and now you are allowing cost of getting a domestic worker also to sky-rocket. This is very mean...and it is TORTURE to the people...

At the end of the day, whilst certain persons and companies prosper - families have seen the quality of family life and life going down...and down.

Ng: Hiring maids from China and Myanmar not the answer
Monday July 21, 2008 (Star Online)

PETALING JAYA: Hiring maids from Myanmar and China will not solve the problem of rising costs of taking in foreign help, says Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen.

“The answer is not looking outwards; the answer is looking inwards. It’s how to develop more home-based care.

“My stand is that we are not ready to have maids from China until we see a drastic decline in social issues which arise because of foreign women coming in,” she told the press after the official opening of the National Council of Senior Citizens Organisations Malaysia (Nacscom) Old Folks Home in Kota Damansara here on Saturday.

She said her ministry was working with the Human Resources Ministry to develop home-based domestic and childcare management programmes.

“There are many single mothers here who can do part-time homecare,” she said.

Last month, the Association of Foreign Housemaids Recruitment Agencies urged the Government to consider allowing maids from China and Myanmar as recruitment agencies in Indonesia had pushed the fees so high that they may reach RM8,000 soon.