KUALA LUMPUR: A former PKR division youth chief was put under investigation for abusing his Indonesian domestic worker, who is currently under the protection of the Indonesian Embassy.
As reported by Malaysiakini, the domestic worker claimed that the politician instructed her to undress before scalding her with hot water as punishment for leaving the front gate open.
Malaysiakini sighted the police report made by the domestic worker, in which the latter claimed the politician had not paid her for four years, besides the physical torment and verbal abuse she had to endure.
A police investigation is now ongoing under Section 324 of the Penal Code.
The politician is confirmed to still be a member of the PKR by the party's chief organising secretary Zahir Hassan, yet no longer holds any official position.
The domestic worker, 57, from Central Java described the range of physical abuse she has been through, ever since she began working at the Datuk-titled politician's residence in 2018.
She claimed to have suffered kicks and stomps to her upper body and head, hair-pulling followed by being slammed into a wall, head injuries from various objects and attempted drowning.
The other forms of punishment, as detailed by the worker also involved the use of a golf club, thick wooden baton, bamboo cane, mobile phone; and a flower pot being thrown on her hands which broke her little finger and permanently disfigured it, with minimal medical attention for her injuries.
Also mentioned in other incidents; she was bound and left in a drain, being left in a graveyard with her hands tied and being forced to consume 20 chilli peppers stuffed into her mouth.
She alleged that she was also beaten when attempting to intervene when the politician was physically abusing his children, or in one instance, he held a child's head under water; although this was not included in her police report.
The worker mentioned that three other domestic workers had fled the household the previous year, leaving her in charge of managing the large three-story mansion household alone.
Besides cooking, there were nine vehicles she had to clean while taking care of 400 chickens and two cats too.
She recounted working long hours, sleeping only one hour a night and expressed relief that her second attempt to escape had succeeded.
Malaysiakini reported that the worker is presently sheltered by the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur and wishes to return home but is also seeking her unpaid wages of RM78,000.
Condemning the act of Indonesian domestic workers being abused and exploited, Indonesian ambassador to Malaysia, Hermono, said he would include the politician's name in a list of 95 individuals recommended to the Indonesian Immigration Department for prohibiting entry into the nation.
Earlier, Indonesia had already imposed travel bans on 103 Malaysians due to instances of abuse and various forms of labour exploitation targeting Indonesian citizens.