When term reopened for the Snowypups, Snowylass told us one of her classmate had his "aunt" ran away with his piggy bank while his family was in Australia. It's such a curious coincidence that less than a week later, the same thing happened to my mother-in-law.
Since work became hectic, I was not able to pick up the kids as early as usual. On Friday, also thanks to very heavy traffic along PIE, Stevens Road and Bt Timah Rd, it was after half-past six when I got to their childcare. By the time we got to their grandma's place for dinner, it was almost seven, and we got there the same time as my sister-in-law who returned home.
My mother-in-law told us that when she was showering, the maid left without locking the front gate, and the day before, had said something about wanting to go out to buy some stuff. We thought she was skiving, and only realised something was seriously wrong when not only did she take my mother-in-law's mobile phone, but my sister-in-law also found her ring missing.
I called the mobile phone but only heard background sounds when connected ... first time it was "Chinese Garden", second time "Boon Lay". We still didn't feel too worried until my brother-in-law came back and could not find her passport too.
This was about the 4th maid my in-law had, but the 1st from Myanmar and 1st who could speak Mandarin. Earlier maids were from Filipino and Indonesia and displayed such surly attitudes taking care of my father-in-law who had dementia and stroke that my in-laws tried for a while without maid.
My mother-in-law told me this Myanmarese maid has a brother working in JB and thought that's where she'd head for. Leaving my kids with her, I drove with my brother-in-law to Boon Lay, to see if we can spot her among some of the pick-ups for coaches going to Malaysia, and then we headed to Tuas 2nd link ourselves. Along the way, he called the police, but the police IO apparently didn't know the proper procedures. Another pal told my brother-in-law that Myanmar passports need visa to get into Malaysia, so it was a little bit of assurance that even if she passed through Singapore's immigration, she should be refused entry at the Malaysian end.
We got to the 2nd Link, but not knowing the place, I had no choice but to join the queue of cars going to Malaysia while my brother-in-law went down to the ICA office to speak to the officers. Eventually, my turn came and I explained to the immigration officer in the booth that I'm not there to go to Malaysia but to make a report to the ICA. (I didn't even have my passport).
Probably not the first time it happened for them, the ICA officers took our ICs, instructed me to park the car at the side, and then explained to that they can only put the maid's passport number on their blacklist if the police HQ made a request to ICA HQ.
It was certainly a novel experience having an ICA officer running (literally) ahead of the car to show us the way out of the 2nd Link.
I drove my brother-in-law to Central Police Divisional HQ to join his wife who was making the report. Later, we learned since the maid didn't take the FIN, she won't be allowed to pass Singapore immigration anyway even if she had her passport and the passport was not blacklisted.
Which means she either had to go to Myanmar embassy to get some alternative way of exit, or smuggle out or use fake documents.
My wife was upset and wondered how the maid thought she could get away with it, and how it could be worth becoming a fugitive.
I don't know much about the Myanmarese, but I do know a few years back before Snowylad was born, a neighbour of ours caught their Filipino maid red-handed pilfering their money. The maid was deported but somehow managed to come back to Singapore.
Taking care of my bed-ridden father-in-law who can't speak is not easy, and my mother-in-law is exacting in requiring the maid to follow instructions. But she was not abused or deprived. Yes, she wanted to quit, but there are proper procedures for it and she was required to fulfil a minimum period of service, which she didn't want to.
At first, we were glad that there was a maid who could speak Mandarin to my mother-in-law. In the end ...
My brother-in-law went to the maid agency today and they are going to get another maid from Indonesia ... in 2 weeks' time.
For them, they'll have to take more precautions.
For me, I'll just have to bring my kids to my in-laws less so to trouble them less.
I don't know. I never trust any stranger staying in my house. I would rather hire a part-time maid than a full time maid hanging in my house, you never know what they could do --too much complains about them . But it's not fair to condemn everyone of them.
ReplyDeleteIn actual fact, you have to take the risk and the trust to let them stay with you.
Usually they show signs when they are up to no good..
ReplyDeleteJust to share, I don't like the idea of my maid having her own mobile. I told her she doesnt need one, if she needs to make calls, she can ask our permission to use the house phone. We allow her to make calls back home at least once a month under our expense.
We also do all the groceries ourselves, so she doesnt need to leave the house unnecessarily.
Sometimes we do everything right, but its just bad luck to select one that has bad attitude.. but most agencies has this maid replacement at no charge if the maid doesnt meet the employer's expectations within a certain limit period. For us, we never use it, not that we dont need to, but purely just out of compassionate reasons. But of course, the stress is on me.
Maids, to certain category of households, can live without them, but definitely can't do without them.
忍忍忍! sign...
If she can afford a handphone, she can do anything she wants. I can only think of one good reason why she need that phone-- she have a boyfriend outside.
ReplyDeleteYou can actually ask for an itemised bill if you need to check but there are additional charges if you need an itemised bill monthly.
I was brought up without maids (the running snark being that we were the unpaid maids), but there are instances when a household could do with one for the old and infirm.
ReplyDeleteMy extended family has been lucky enough to have had trustworthy domestic helpers but that said, I still wouldn't trust a stranger in my house.
From my own observations, having grown up during my earlier years in Indonesia, and then also from visiting my friends in Vancouver (Canada), I feel there are structural limitations in Singapore where maids are concerned.
ReplyDeleteIn Indonesia, most maids in cities come from neighbouring villages or the cities themselves. They don't have the same motivations as maids in Singapore to run away.
In Canada, many maids are treated as professional domestic helpers who are paid enough and pay rent to their employers in return - with a strong sense of ownership to their accomodation & movements, privacy and personal rights.
In the past, in Singapore, only those who are more well-to-do and have large residential compounds could afford maids (mostly locally hired or from Malaysia). The sense of isolation by maids were comparitively lesser as they did not come faraway places, and had language barriers, and more privacies as they had their own rooms.
That's not so for many maids in Singapore today. Many Singaporeans who hire maids today had little previous personal experiences and frankly, IMHO, have little idea how to deal with maids or how to relate to them. (Many ended up being overly strict, but I read of an account in the UK, the similarly inexperienced Brits ended up being too lenient, afraid to criticise sloppy work out of sense of shame that they are being "exploitative").
And the employers being made financially responsible for their maids absconding or getting pregnant etc., only accentuate the tension between employer-employee relationship.
I think maids are also human beings and the numerous government restrictions imposed on them in Singapore are quite stifling. Yes, they earn more than they otherwise would have back home, but that would not be sufficient to compel their compliance in the long run.
Many Singaporeans who are in jobs or schools with stifling rules would probably put up appearances but also seek to circumvent the rules surreptiously.
There's no easy answers for Singapore on this one.
If the maid is not living with the employers, a lot of issues can be less complicated.
ReplyDeleteBut since the employer have spent so much money hiring a maid, I don't think they can still afford to rent a room outside for the maid.
Do the Canadians employers require to put a $5000 deposit + insurance to the govt when hiring a foreign domestic helpers?