Indonesian maids’ minimum salary of RM 450.00 per month is near slavery (Editorial New Straits Times 20/5/2010 at page 16). But the real and more slaves are ignored because they are the soft target Malaysian Indians. These Indian slaves somehow does not make it into the New Straits Times.
Although the country has progressed after 53 years of independence, some families in plantations in the Hulu Selangor area earn only about RM 200 a month. N. Subramaniam, a father of four, has been working in estates for over 30 years but only took home RM 33 after deductions to his April salary. He said his family was able to survive as his wife, a factory worker, earns about RM 600 monthly but she has to work six days a week from 7am to 7pm.
Plantation supervisor K. Sinniah, 53, said life was hard in the estates and some workers pawn their valuables for money. Others turn to loan sharks during emergencies (The UMNO led Malay-sian government had announced that all those earning below RM 720 per month will receive RM 400 per month from the Welfare Department (NST 29/3/09 at page 23). But somehow this RM 400 of welfare help does not reach 99% of the poor underprivileged and needy Indians. Why? The real slavery story has never got into The New Straits Times Editorials (See real story below).
To zoom in why this poor N. Subramaniam did not receive the RM 400 per month of welfare help. Why? Because he is Indian and not Malay muslim? And that they do not happen to be Malay muslim Indonesian maids ably backed up by no less than their President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono who was in K.L yesterday to champion this cause!
And why the deafening silence on this discrimination and neglect by PKR, DAP, PAS, Malaysiakini, NGOs, Bloggers, and the Indian elite?
Who are guilty by omission while UMNO is guilty of commission.
P. Uthayakumar
1. Sg Sinarut estate segamat slaves ten families do not have proper salary, EPF, and Socso says Human Resources Minister who had met them at a Job fair in Segamat. (TN 20/07/08 front page)
2. Sg Sinarut estate Segamat bonded laborers have to work from 6.00a.m to 10.00pm. They are paid RM 250.00 per month. They have been sold to a contractor. If they don’t go to work even if they are ill they will be put in a jail in a house and beaten up. One family run away to Malacca and had bought refuge at a Pastor’s church and then referred to the Human Resources Minister who in turn wants police action.(TN 22/07/08 Page4).
3. Borned labourer family in Sg Sinarut Segamat. Husband Paramasivam (44) wife Mageswari (32) and 7 children Puvaneswary(12), Muneswaran(11), Jegatheswaran(10), Vickneswaran(8), Ganesan(7), Nitpa(5). Grandmother Muniamah(50) of Bandar Putra Segamat last saw her daughter Mageswari one year ago. The grandmother was taking care of Muneswaran, Jegatheswaran and Puvaneswari.Muniamal went to Sg Sinarut to look for her daughter but she was told that they have been sold to a Sub contractors and her son in law came to take away the three children from the grandmother for the school holidays. Her son in law did not come down from the van that they had come in and put his head down.Muneswaran and Jegatheswaran who were in standard 4 and 5 had gone with their father.But Puvaneswary had refused to go. When Muniamal called the sub contractor the had refused to say where they were and also refused to allow her to speak to the daughter. The two grandson now were forced to stop school and made to work to scoop latex from the latex cup.Muniamal’s son Jeganathan(33) saw Mageswari in a Chinese shop in a plantation in a remote part of Bahau. But the contractor wouldn’t let him speak to mageswari,(his sister). (TN 27/07/08 Page9).
4. Mageswari runs away from being a slave leaving behind her husband and two sons aged 10 and 11 years old. Mageswari and her husband were working at Batu Anam Sg. Sinarut estate when they were sold for RM4,500.00 to another contractor from Bahau. They had to work in Jempol, stayed in a rotten house with no electricity and water. They had to use a Kerosene lamp. They had to get up at 4.00a.m to go to work in the jungle. They have to work for 3 days and nights in a row. There sleep overnight in the jungle. There are 30 others in their position.
5. One lady (psychiatric patient) and two men got caught trying to escape. They were tied up and tortured by the contractor’s people. They were stripped naked and beaten up with sticks and also their bare hands. They were tied up for three days. Mageswari begged for the lady to be released when she could no longer take what she was seeing. People who try and away and don’t work well will be beaten up. They work round the clock and are given RM100.00 in every two months. They have worked for two full years and the contractor says that there are still debts to pay. Her two sons aged 10 and 11 had to step school one year ago to become general workers in the estate. After finishing work in Jempol, they were brought back to Bahau and have to work in the Kuala Pilah rubber estates. She is the only lady among the men. Mageswary tricked her slave master that she had a dream that her daughter had come of age. The slave masters wife was sent along with her to her mother’s house and never went back. She had lodged a police report. (TN 14/09/08 Page 9).
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