One of the first seemingly-ironic culture shocks of starting to work in 'developing' South East Asian countries like Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia is that the middle class all seem to have largely invisible 'ghosts' wandering around the house. They are rarely acknowledged and treated as virtual 'lepers'. These are the maids of South East Asia.

Coming, as the Rat did, from 'egalitarian' Australia, it is more of a shock to find that many employers (and of course there are exceptions as well), treated their maids as outcasts. Invited to a middle class home for dinner, you are generally not introduced to the maid, despite the fact she cooked and served your dinner. It's almost as she is an invisible ghost. A further shock for the naive - maids get paid a pittance, though they also get free accomodation. In Singapore and Malaysia, maids often come from the Philippines and Indonesia, where what they are paid is a nice income to send back to their families in these "poorer" countries. The Philippine and Indonesian governments encourage it as well, as it provides some much needed incoming revenue to support their poorer families.

The dark side however, is that it exposes the class distinctions in South East Asia. Worth is often valued in terms of the money you make, the place you come from, and ethnicity. In business, as well as generally. It self-perpetuates poverty and encourages the view of people (and human resources) as commodities. It reduces opportunities for those born poor to rise up the ranks, and perpetuates stereotypes and historical distinctions. It also manifests itself in continuing "maid bashing" cases in places like Singapore and Malaysia - an often 'unconscious' violence against those seen as inferior to keep them in their place.

A stark demonstration of the power of these perceptions was displayed in the Malaysian leading English language newspaper with strong links to the ruling elite - the New Straits Times this week. A photo of a beauty pageant in the Philippines. The photo was from Associated Press (AP), but the two word caption was all local. It read simply "Pretty Maids".

In another part of the paper, an item published an appeal by Deputy Prime Minister and Mahathir heir apparent to stop stereotyping racial groups in Malaysia. Malays should not be seen as "rice planters", Indians should not be seen as "plantation workers" and the Chinese should not be seen as "shop keepers", he pronounced. At the same time, the carefully monitored NST gaily continued to brand Filipinos as maids... A little 'mistake' maybe, but a reminder that attitudes to groups of people outside of Malaysia are also deep-seated...