Recently, the government put forth a suggestion to enforce a day of rest for the maids especially in view of all the abuses that have been portrayed in the news. Of course, most people protested citing the reason that maids will mix with the wrong crowd and be led astray.
I don’t have a maid at home thus I don’t really know the issues or complications that comes in hiring a maid. I also don’t know how I would respond to the news if I have a maid. Would I support it wholeheartedly? Or would I be taken over by fears that my maid would mix with the wrong people and end up stealing my things or worst still murder my family?
However, coming from the perspective of a working adult, I recognized how important it is to have a day of rest. After a full 5 or 6 days of work, the weekends are always a good time to break away from the routine of life, slow down the pace and enjoy life. Even God Himself put forth this as a commandment; asking us to keep the Sabbath and keep it holy (I am still not sure what it means by keeping it holy. Does it mean to set aside a day for the sole purpose of spending time with God? Or does it mean to engage in something meaningful?) So, with this in mind, I wonder still the uproar when it comes to giving our maids a day off. Is there something wrong with our perspective in that we view the maids as different or to put it crudely second class citizens - Someone whom we can order about and tend to our needs 24/7?
I wonder too of their life here in a foreign country. Having lived as an expatriate in Singapore for a few months, I can more or less identify with the loneliness that one faces in a foreign land; even more so when the culture and language of the land is different. Hearing someone speak your mother tongue is like having the sun shine upon your face on a cold winter day. Why then do we forbid the maids from being in a community of their own when we would likewise crave the warmth of friendship from our fellow countrymen when overseas?
Yet having lived long enough on this side of the world, I know the issues and fears of the employees are real especially if children are involved. There are no blanket solutions only consequences to any ruling; made good or bad by the individual human beings involved.
