He said that the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by Malaysia and Indonesia on April 1 is very clear on this provision.

“I hope there will be no more confusion on the wages of Indonesian domestic workers after this,” he said in a brief statement.

The confusion came after Saravanan reportedly said Putrajaya had not agreed to the RM1,500 salary and that it was up to employers to choose to pay the amount. He also said the salary as stated in the MoU “starts with RM1,200”.

He said during discussions with Jakarta, the government did not agree to pay maids RM1,500 because the minimum wage in Malaysia at the time was still only RM1,200.

Based on the approved processes, the first batch of Indonesian maids are only expected to arrive from next month when the new minimum wage of RM1,500 is expected to be in place.

According to a copy of the MoU sighted by FMT, employers have to pay the domestic workers “not less than RM1,500” directly into the workers’ bank accounts no later than the seventh day of the following month.

This prompted Indonesian ambassador Hermono to voice concern that maids from his country may not receive the RM1,500 salary as promised in the MoU.

He said the MoU clearly stated that employers had to pay the domestic workers “not less than RM1,500”.