With regards to M Bakri Musa's article, Get rid of the 3-D jobs , the author said: 'Having Indonesian maids is a way for non-Malays in particular to vicariously compensate for their perceived inferior treatment from the Malay officialdom'.

Perhaps the author should first ask why non-Malay Malaysians employ maids. He should also question why the non-Malays work so hard that they are forced to let their maids bring up their young children.

This is because the non-Malays have no security in this country other than financial security. It is this financial security they are after to compensate for the unfair treatment by the Malay officialdom.

Most non-Malays families have to work extra hard in order to send their children for an overseas education that would cost at least a few hundred thousands ringgit. In business, non-Malays first have to pay their way through the Ali Baba system to get a licence - be it for constructing a building or driving a taxi.

Bakri just has to go to the Ministry of Entrepreneurial Development to see how all transport licences are issued by this ministry instead of the Transport Ministry. How all loans earmarked to help small and medium industries are turned into bumiputera-only loans. How all the franchise companies have to have shares for bumis.

I employed a maid when my wife gave birth to our second child. But after two weeks, I sent her back to the agent after discovering it was such a burden to have a live-in maid. But to many that is a necessary evil. Eventually, my wife gave up her teaching job to look after the family.

For non-Malays, having an Indonesian maid is not a way to compensate for the unfair treatment from Malay officialdom. In fact, we would welcome a Filipino, Vietnamese, Chinese or Sri Lankan maid but the cost and the unnecessary hassle - again, from the officialdom - for these maids does not make it worthwhile.

Having a live-in maid is necessary when striving for extra financial security, in relieving an extra pair of hands to bring home more income.