Human

What were the agents in Indonesia and Malaysia doing when the domestic worker was abused? Did they check on the wellness of the worker? I'm sure they collect commissions from the monthly unpaid salary until its paid off. So why both agents didn't see or speak to the worker while she was abused? I'm curious.

Colin Huang

My condolence to the family of Mantik. I am Malaysian, non-Muslim and hires an Indonesian helper at home. My children will be reprimanded if they are rude to the maid and corporal punishment is meted out if they get physical with the helper, e.g. pinching her etc. My helper also has her own room and she gains weight to the extent that she is now dieting, although I would said that she is somewhat not making much headway.

I must say that while I can discipline my own children, I am helpless when it comes to my Indonesian helper. She tells lies, does not do her work diligently when we are not at home, manipulates old folks in the family, etc. Funny thing is, she is not unique, past Indonesian helpers were more or less the same. A quick survey of employers in Malaysia will reveal the same pattern of behaviour. Most of us will live with this inconvenience but unfortunately, some employers simply cannot cope with the mental strain that comes with having an Indonesian helper under the same roof and ends with tragedy. However, at this juncture, I assert that there is no justification for any form of violence or even punishment of any sort on an adult. A crime has been committed and the wrongdoers must face the full force of the law.

I would, though, trust that this sharing opens up another perspective of the problem surrounding the employment of Indonesia domestic helpers in Malaysia. Why then do we live with the problem? Well, simply because Indonesian helpers are less expensive compared to Filipinos and the fact that they speak Malay is an advantage.

k.sam

I will not say it is religion ! It is the attitude ! The shallowness in their thinking / their upbringing / their own family traits that create viciousness in their evil human being prompting to act and commit unimaginable atrocious / barbaric deeds. All religion preaches the good .

k.sam

This MUST be animals in human cloth . Otherwise this vicious act on a defenceless human who left her family to work in Malaysia to support them would have not happened . I wonder as a Malaysian myself what is becoming of us in Malaysia.I simply hoped they - the evil beings who committed this crime are meeted with the country's severest punishment - DEATH . Vicious Malaysians must be taught to behaviour as decent humans . We are very sorry for what has happened . My heart cries too . May Muntik soul rest in peace . Thank you

peterR

I have to step in and say that anybody trying to align this case, or any other similar case of abuse against Indonesian maids working in Malaysia, to Islam, is just being bloody stupid. I suspect these comments are simply designed to be inflammatory, and I guess if that satisfies the small minds behind them, that’s OK. Even Prats need a hobby.

A number of my relatives here in Indonesia have been finding it increasingly hard to find women to work for them in the house. I believe that this is a pretty general trend. Perhaps this problem could be resolved by looking at their working conditions generally and pay in particular? I am not saying that people here treat workers badly or that they deliberately pay small wages, just that I think it may be time to review things on the domestic worker front: times move on.

If women are able to get decent jobs here at home, they will hopefully no-longer find the lure of working in Malaysia so attractive.

At this moment in time, maybe the government here needs to bring in tighter controls to protect vulnerable overseas workers. Perhaps by ensuring that workers can only be employed via licensed agencies, that these agencies are regularly vetted, and insisting that they hold responsibilities for the whole of the time the workers are overseas, and obviously backed up by serious penalties if conditions are not met.

sumantha

my heart cries for Muntik. may her soul find eternal peace. may her all good deeds be accepted as 'ibadah' by the Almighty. and, her family be given the strength to face their lost.

i believe the Malaysian authorities will act fast. it's not difficult to prove such a murder, as it was a clear cut case.

while our hearts go out for her, it's quite wrong to deduce blindly that this case was in any way related to Islam as a religion. i agree with Ying, Sapodilla and IbMal ~ there's no corelation at all between Islam or Malaysia with this case. further more, the employers are clearly non-Muslim.

concerned about the fate and wellbeing of WNIs working in Malaysia, i've been closely following most cases. from a record i kept of about 15 cases of maids abuse in Malaysia, i noticed that all employers involved were neither Muslims nor Malays.

Malaysian law stipulates that Muslim maids from Indonesia or any other countries for that matter, can only be employed by Muslim employers. Just so to avoid cases of maids being ordered to wash, cook and eat pork or liquour, bath the dogs or denied of prayer time.

however, still there are cases to the contrary. why so? from ad-hoc studies i made, i found out that some agents were not telling the truth in declaring Muslim maids as non-Muslim. agents did this to increase the probability of getting employed of maids they sent over to Malaysia. and thus their commissions. this is so, because a larger number of employers there are non-Muslim as they can better afford to employ maids compared to the Malays.

a Malay Muslim friend in Johor once related to me that he and his wife unintentionally got a maid offered to them by a Chinese friend who found out that his maid was infact a Muslim. not wanting to feel guilty in asking the maid to do chores where she must be in touch with liquor, pork and dogs, he offered her to my Malay friend.

when my Malay friend asked the maid why was it stated in her document that she is a Christian, her answer was that she was ordered by the agent to sign it in order for her to get a job faster with non-Muslim employers.

of course i wouldn't know how many more of such case exists but i'd be glad if what little information i have may help better the recruitment practise.

it's wrong to generalise. our discussion here too would be misleading if we simply generalise.

it's just unfortunate if we enter this discussion just to throw tantrums and blames. more unfortunate and much regretable if we blindly try to relate such incidents to any particular race or religion of the employers.

the fact is that it can happen to any human being esp. those psychologically sick, mean and unfit to become an employer. if the law stipulates that premeditated murderers such as in Muntik's case should be sentenced to death by hanging, then so be it.

Jeanne Hachette

Ibmal, the religion of the abusers is not the important point. In the Middle East, all abusers are mainly muslims and they are abusing muslim (and also non muslim) maids. The thing is how can somebody beat another person to death? Abusers have to be animals to do such a thing. Extreme punishment must be given to these persons .

golddust

I just dont trust any religions who always bow.bow to the wall.to the statue or to the floor,that,s the reason they so violent because deep inside they mind,they know its pathetic.stop bowing!!!!

IbMal

I can confirm you that the accused are Indian. They are not Muslim. In fact, most cases of maid abuse in Malaysia involve Muslim maid and non-Muslim employers.

Now, what do you make of this?

ying

@Golddust :The employers names are Murugan and Vanitha, most likely they are Indian descent, not all Indian all Muslim, and even if they are, the abuse has nothing to do with the religion. Violence happens regardless the religion. Abuse also happens in a Christian, Buddhist, and Jewish predominantly country.

Sapodilla

Golddust - please explain why you relate this blatant case of human abuse to Islam? Simply by the fact that it occurred in Malaysia?

Sapodilla

Justice delayed is justice denied; I hope the authorities bring this to trial as soon as possible and not let the dust settle to be swept under the carpet.

golddust

They said,islam is a religion of peace.and why so many innocent life die for no reason.?is there any explaination for this?can somebody explain to me why life is so cheap in moeslem word.that women is so dependless and they still kill her.may God have mercy upon her.its barbaric.!

ying

Mustar Bonaventura must be so thrilled. This kind of unfortunate event will give him a lot of new ammunitions to talk trash about Malaysia and once again embarrass Indonesia. Hopefully the government will do a smart move to avoid chaos and hopefully JG readers will not make stupid comments and bash each other in this web. My thought goes to Muntik's friends and family.

VJ82

Good luck M-sia.