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GEORGE TOWN: Malaysia has enough women interested to work as domestic helpers, said Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.

She said the ministry was working to ensure that the country was self-sufficient in the maids sector, believing that the country must never depend on any country for the supply of foreign workers in whatever sector.

“There has been an increase in training programmes for those who are interested to work as maids in Malaysia,” she said after attending the KARISMA Wanita 2011 Programme at the Youth and Sports Complex in Batu Uban yesterday.

Shahrizat was commenting on the move by Cambodia to ban its citizens from working as maids in Malaysia.

On the KARISMA programme, she said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had allocated RM1.2bil to assist low-income groups including women, the disabled, children, single mothers and the hardcore poor.

Shahrizat later handed out assistance to 420 women under the 1AZAM programme which provides job opportunities through four avenues AZAM Tani (agriculture), AZAM Niaga (entrepreneurial), AZAM Khidmat (services) and AZAM Kerja (job placements).

Factory production operator Jamaliah Jamaludin, 42, said she was grateful to the Government for providing her with a sewing machine, as she could earn extra money from home to support her family.

In Petaling Jaya, Malaysian Association of Foreign Maid Agencies acting president Jeffrey Foo said the Government must take an overall look at the recruitment system.

“The recruitment and deployment of Cambodian maids are not being done according to international standards,” he said yesterday.

Foo said there was not enough training and orientation on managing recruitment operations, resulting in irresponsible agencies which recruited underage maids or charged exorbitant fees.

He urged employers to be patient and not create a “hue and cry” as the issues at hand were more than just about a maid shortage crisis.

“Let the Government and relevant parties work out a long-term holistic solution.

“If we tackle the root problem, then supply will be coming again,” he said.

Maid agent P. Preminder said Malaysia should look for new sources in other countries, adding that East Timor was a potential source.

“Cambodia is the next source country after Indonesia.

“This ban will result in serious shortage problems,” he said.

He added that, however, most employers expressed language barrier as a major frustration point with Cambodian maids.