Today is an extremely sad day for me. It concerns my beloved former English teacher, Puan Rahmah Sahamid. I had just read a ‘Malaysia Today’ entry on the passing of her beloved sister Habnah.

Let me reproduce a letter she wrote to ‘Malaysia Today’ and I am asking this issue which concerns perhaps millions of Malaysians as well to be brought to Parliament. I am asking both elected representatives from both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat to deal with this in a bi-partisan manner. Below is Puan Rahmah's story and her urgent appeal, reproduced in full:

‘On the night of April 29, my dear sister was brutally murdered in her bedroom; she had sustained head injuries, her internal organs severely ruptured. What would the last moments have been for her before she died? Did she expect the blow to come from someone she trusted and took into the safety of her own home? How she must have put up a fight, worrying for our aged mother, blissfully unaware of the gruesome murder taking place in the next room .My sister was found the next day sprawling in a pool of blood .She was 62 and lived with my mother, 84 years of age and an Indonesian maid. There was no sign of forced entry. The Indonesian maid had disappeared, leaving her bloodstained clothes behind .From the evidence, according to police, the maid is the prime suspect.

How can I describe the essence that was my sister Habnah? The newspaper reports only describe her as a victim, maybe just another one of many that we read about so often in the papers over tea or coffee, or while waiting to catch the bus. That victim, my sister was so much more. She was generous as she was kind. It took her sudden death for us to realise how much she gave of herself to each member of our very large, close-knit family and especially to my aged mother, making sure she took her daily supplements, reminding her of her meals, her rest, managing the repairs of the house, groceries, my mother's daily meals, finances, medical health as well as the 1,001 things that a loving and dutiful daughter does every day for a much beloved mother.

How could this have happened? Could it be possible that a person we had let into our home to take care of two elderly women was the perpetrator of this heinous crime? My late sister was always careful to lock all doors and windows as precautions for security. But what precautions can one take when the criminal is locked in also? We had engaged the maid from an authorised agency, had complied with all the procedures, made the requisite payments. Do we not have a right to expect that the maids we employ had at least been vetted to ensure that we are not letting into our homes psychotic, deranged persons who commit unspeakable acts of violence?

Much fuss is made when foreign maids are allegedly abused or ill treated by employers and Indonesian and Malaysian authorities are quick to jump in to render protection and justice. But what justice is rendered to my late sister? What protection is afforded to employers and their charges against the wrath of psychotic, deranged or violent foreign maids?

I have been told that the chances of apprehending the prime suspect - the Indonesian maid - is extremely slim because of the ease with which she is able to slip out of the country undetected. What is even more fearful is that she could slip back into the country still undetected to take employment in another unsuspecting household, under another name. Such is possible because of the serious lack of mechanisms of proper identification of foreign maids. There is not even a thumbprint and sometimes not even a signature nor even a surname for proper identification. Are background checks conducted to ensure the foreign maids we bring in have no criminal records or mental history? What procedures are in place to ensure there is no recurrence of this tragedy? The answer is- that there are none.

I cannot bring my sister back to life, and nothing will alleviate the pain, grief and shock of losing a beloved sister in such cruel circumstances .But I write this even as I grieve, in the hope that no one would have to go through what my family members and I are going through. I know there are many households in Malaysia where foreign maids are left to take charge of vulnerable and defenseless persons – the elderly and incapacitated as well as young children.

There is a critical and urgent need to address all the weaknesses and deficiencies in our existing system relating to the employment of foreign maids. Procedures and mechanisms of proper identification, stringent vetting of backgrounds, a tracking mechanism to ensure blacklisted foreign maids are denied entry will ensure a much-needed measure of protection to employers and their charges. This is especially crucial in the case of foreign maids, because unlike other categories of foreign workers, they are brought to live into our homes and therein lies our vulnerability.

My sister would not have suffered such an unspeakable fate had there been such procedures in place. So who should bear responsibility for her cruel death? The 'prime suspect' who gave the death blows or the authorities for their lackadaisical attitude in perpetuating a 'system' that gives scant, if any, protection to employers by allowing such 'persons' to take employment in our households? It is too late to save my sister, but not for other vulnerable households. I implore all Malaysians to join me in appealing to the relevant authorities, particularly the immigration department and the Home Ministry, to take urgent action to protect our households. Let us not delay as any further for inaction or apathy on our part may cost the loss of another beloved life or lives.

In conclusion let me ask a chilling question. How sure are you that the new foreign maid you are bringing into your home is not the abovementioned 'prime suspect' or someone like her? Sleep on it, that is, if you can.’

Rahmah Sahamid

Puan Rahmah Sahamid is an extraordinary teacher who has deeply impacted me in my love for the English language and is a major influence in my life as an educator. She is amongst the best English teachers I have been blessed with and has touched the lives of thousands others.

This is not just a special piece in my column but an urgent appeal to the Ministry of Home Affairs to look into this matter. Puan Rahmah's letter is self-explanatory - while Malaysians are also guilty of abusing foreign maids, we must monitor maids that are abusive and in extreme cases, murderous perhaps.

Please join me in this forum to offer condolences and to send this urgent message to the relevant authorities, concerning a matter of national interest. This is an urgent mater to us as we leave home daily selling our labour to the state.

Al fatihah to Puan Habnah. My deepest condolences to Puan Rahmah Sahamid and her family. My appeal to the Home Minister - act now!