The Golden Maid Awards

Can't live with them, can't live without them.... maids.

Maids have been part of our family since my firstborn was on the way back in 1996. I am, what you could call, an experienced employer but no way can I claim that I know how to select or manage them. What I have developed over the years is a certain philosophy about maids that keep me (and them, hopefully) happy in a workable relationship.

Going down memory lane, I shall now remember my past maids as follows:

Lifetime Achievement Award: Sutinah (1998-2006)

Tinah served us with a heart of gold. All our close family and friends remember her as an integral part of our household. Although she had her faults (who didn't?), we knew she always looked out for us and had our best interests at heart. We knew that she wouldn't do things to spite us or to deliberately make trouble for us. Son No 2 was especially close to her. I remember one occasion when Son No 2 was hospitalised and it seemed so natural that she would be the one to stay and look after him in the hospital at night. She was the best cook that we had, probably because she learnt her skills directly from my mom. We still miss her fried crabs and double-boiled chicken soup. I gave her a sterling recommendation when she left us.

The Best Performer Award: Henny (2006-2007)

Henny was a quiet, efficient and self-motivated worker. Unlike many maids, she knew what she was required to do and carried out her duties the best she could, without supervision or external motivation. This pride in her work is something that made me appreciate her a great deal. One day, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that she had classified and arranged the children's toys neatly on the shelves, with used plastic ice-cream containers. I was impressed. She was the only maid I had that had an educational qualification equivalent to pre-university. I often wonder if there is a correlation between performance/attitude with educational qualification.

The Worst Performer Award: Purwati (2007-2008)

There was a dearth of maids coming to Malaysia at that time due to the low wages here and choices of maids were limited. Wati was a nightmare. She had worked in Saudi Arabia before (or so she claimed) and she liked to do things her own way. She was calculative and loved to talk back to her employers. Boy, how she talked back - especially after she was reprimanded. I have counselled her on numerous occasions but what's the point? In the end, I was glad to send her home, even though I did not have a replacement maid for another 6 weeks.

The Great Escape Artist: Haryati (1996)

She was my first maid whom we have employed to take care of Son No 1. She arrived when I was heavily pregnant with Son No 1. The idea was to train her to take care of the infant before the infant was born. Who knows, within one week of her arrival, she had disappeared. Luckily, with help from friends, we managed to locate her many days later at a food court in Geylang. She was with an unknown man. We quickly sent her home on the next available flight. She was our baptism of fire as an employer of maids.

The Drama Queen: Yanti (1997)

Yanti was homesick after being with us for about 6 months and wanted to go home. We agreed but tried to persuade her to stay on until the next maid arrived. I was working full-time at that time and it would be a burden to my mom to look after Son No 1 without a maid. But Yanti would have none of it. She wanted to go home immediately and held us ransom by hiding in her room and going on a hunger strike. She won and got her way. We sent her off immediately.

The Best Babysitter: Nyonim (2005-2006)

I will always remember Nyonim as the maid who really loved children. On the first day of work, she had already engaged Son No 3 with her ready smile and a willingness to play. She was not an exemplary maid - she was an incorrigible liar - but she was cheerful and was good with the children. For that, bless her.

These are not all the maids that I have employed - just some that stood out. All of us have heard plenty of maid stories, some good and some not so good. But I would say that on the whole, my draw has not been too bad.