Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh dan salam sejahtera.
YB Dato’ Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil
Menteri Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat
Y.Bhg Datuk Faizah Mohd Tahir
Ketua Setiausaha
Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat
YB Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun
Setiausaha Parlimen
Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat
Y.Bhg Tan Sri Datuk Seri Dr. Hajah Aishah Ghani
Y.Bhg Tan Sri Datin Paduka Seri Hajah Zaleha Binti Ismail
Pengerusi LPPKN
Isteri YB Menteri-menteri Kabinet
Saudara dan saudari yang saya hormati sekalian
1. Alhamdulillah, saya bersyukur ke hadrat Allah kerana dengan limpah kurniaNya, kita dapat bersama dalam majlis Sidang Kemuncak Wanita 2007 yang penuh bermakna ini. Saya ingin mengucapkan terima kasih kepada Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat kerana menjemput saya untuk menyampaikan ucaptama dan seterusnya merasmikan majlis pada pagi ini.
2. Ucapan tahniah dan syabas juga disampaikan kepada pihak Kementerian kerana sekali lagi berjaya menganjurkan sidang kemuncak ini sempena Sambutan Hari Wanita 2007, lebih-lebih lagi menjelang Sambutan Kemerdekaan Malaysia yang ke-50.
3. Sesungguhnya Kerajaan sentiasa komited dan prihatin terhadap kemajuan kaum wanita di Malaysia. Pelbagai usaha telah dilakukan oleh Kerajaan bagi memelihara dan melindungi hak dan kepentingan kaum wanita, sama ada dengan mengadakan dasar dan perundangan mahupun melalui pelaksanaan pelbagai program dan aktiviti. Kerajaan juga tidak lupa untuk menghargai dan mengiktiraf sumbangan dan peranan aktif wanita Malaysia dalam membangunkan negara ini. Penganjuran sambutan Hari Wanita dan Sidang Kemuncak Wanita adalah manifestasi penghargaan dan pengiktirafan Kerajaan terhadap wanita.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
4. Let me start my thanking the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development for inviting me to address the Women’s Summit 2007. This is not my first Summit, and it is very heartwarming to see that this annual event organized by the Ministry has become a meaningful and well participated platform for discussion and debate on issues critical to national programme. YB Dato’ Sri Shahrizat’s promise that I would be in the company of 1,500 very vibrant and enterprising women, was much too hard to resist.
5. The Summit this year entitle ‘Putting Women At The Heart of Development’ is significant as it coincides with the 50th Celebration of our independence. Hence, I feel it is appropriate for me to highlight the progress of women in development since the last five decades. Although the achievements may not be new to some of you, nevertheless, it needs to be reiterated to acknowledge the efforts undertaken by government and parties concerned thus far.
6. Since independence the role and status of women in Malaysia have undergone a profound change. Women have indeed actively contributed towards the development of the country. Efforts to forge greater gender equality have resulted in women achieving significant progress in key socio-economic areas. Women were also credited with playing a major role in poverty eradication as well as contributing to the country’s GDP.
7. Malaysian women have benefitted from increasingly access to education and training as indicated by the improvement in their literacy rates, enrolment and achievements at all levels of education. As an example in 1959, there were only 77 female undergraduates or 10.7% of the total student enrolment in the University of Malaya, which was the only university then. Today, female students outnumber the male students by the ratio of 61:39.
8. The participation of women in the labour force has shown an increasing trend from 30.8% in 1957 to around 46% for the period 2000-2006. In terms of power sharing and decision making in politics and economy, the women share has also indicated a gradual increase. There has also been an increase in women voters, memberships in political parties, political candidates and appointments to elected and appointed offices.
9. The progress of Malaysian women especially in education and health is indeed remarkable in comparison with the countries in the Asia Pacific Region and Muslim countries. The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific or ESCAP, in its Economic and Social Survey 2007, indicated that gender discrimination in the region is most visible in the low access that women have to education and health services, economic opportunities and political participation. A 30-40% gap in male – female labour force participation is common in the region developing countries.
10. ESCAP 2007 studies indicated that the economic and social costs of gender discriminations on women is enormous. The Asia Pacific Region for instance is losing USD 42 to 47 billion per year because of restriction on women access to employment opportunities. Gender gap in education on the other hand is costing between USD 16-30 billion per year.
11. Meanwhile, is some societies in the Muslim World, scant attention given to women has proven detrimental to the development of Muslim societies all over the world. The gender marginalization and consigning women solely to the private domain, deprives their rights to contribute towards development of society.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
12. The Government has always subscribed to the view that no society can prosper when half of its population is not given the opportunity to contribute to its progress. The advancement of women worldwide in terms of equality and empowerment is not because it is just but because it is necessary for successful development. Gender discrimination has widespread ramifications as well as socio-economic costs. Restricting the access of women to education and health is detrimental to human capital development and labour force participation, thus the individual welfare and economic growth.
13. Based on the progress that I have enumerated, it is evident that the Government has undertaken conscious effort to integrate women in development. Our success could be attributed to several factors :
Firstly, the development planning for the advancement of women was introduced as a chapter since the Sixth Malaysia Plan incorporating women in the process of development, equitable sharing of resources and access to opportunities. The successive Plans resulted in the implementation of more coherent and focused programme to integrate women in development and elevate their status.
Secondly, the establishment of institutional and administrative machinery to plan, coordinate, implement and monitor the development of women. This include the setting up of the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development and the Department of Women Affairs.
Thirdly, supporting legislation that were either reviewed, amended or enacted to protect the rights and dignity of women, and,
Fourthly, an active advocacy and campaigns by women’s non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in preserving, reinforcing and protecting the rights and legal status of women.
14. While the progress achieved thus far is laudable nevertheless, there still exist concerns among the women community vis-à-vis gender gap in areas such as concentration of women in low-skilled and low-waged occupation, access to high level positions and participation in decision-making in the civil service and corporate sector as well as low level of participation in political life at all levels.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
15. Since independence we have journeyed on towards achieving our goal of joining the ranks of other fully developed nation by 2020. Therefore, in the next 13 years the Malaysian economy will have to address and adapt to great changes in the global environment, while staying resolutely on course as we make the big push towards achieving developed nation status. Indeed there are many challenges facing us such as our ability to raise the nation’s level of competitiveness which requires us to move the economy up the value chain in every economic sector thus achieving higher value added and total factor productivity. The need to enhance the quality of our human resources in order to drive the transformation to a knowledge based economy is another significant challenge of the 21st century.
16. In overcoming these challenges, we have to look at innovative ways to strengthen initiatives that engage the entire Malaysian community in national development. Policies and programmes will be gender and ethnic sensitive to spike the nation’s capability to compete globally. In all this, we need to leverage on one of our underutilized yet potentially powerful resources- the women of Malaysia. In short, the Ninth Plan sets out to create an environment that facilitates a stronger and more value-added economy, while giving substantial focus to socio-economic issues and uplifting the quality of life for all.
Ladies and gentlemen, the question is what will this take?
Firstly, Women need to build up critical skills and knowledge in order to navigate the intricacies of a rapidly globalizing economy. Efforts will be undertaken to provide an enabling environment to ensure more effective participation of women in national development.
Secondly, women need to be more closely integrated into the process of setting national goals and aspirations. This means engaging actively not just women but also men in continuous consultation and dialogue in the process of developing policies that are truly enabling. Dialogue and partnering is the only way in which to ensure that our goal for developed nation status can be achieved. Malaysia will need to move away from the notion that it is a nation with ‘first class infrastructure, but third class mentality’. Our approach must be holistic and inclusive to ensure men and women pursue not just knowledge and skills, but also maintain a strong moral fiber and social ethical values.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
17. It is now a good time to take a reality check. Progress requires progressive mindsets and a culture of inclusiveness. I think you will agree with me that transformation and change take time, and have to be achieved through considered decision making.
18. The Prime Minister at the Women’s Summit of 2003 said that “Women’s progress is the nation’s progress. Here is where I think the public and the private sectors as well as the community based organizations should collaborate to build a socio-cultural environment that engages qualified and competent women in the process of national development. Rapid technological change is transforming the work place therefore eroding the traditional concept of work locations, responsibilities and schedules. Works now are being carried out at any time and at any place. Part time work, remote and virtual works constitute these new forms of working activities.
19. In this context, I agree with the view of Joan William, in her book, Unbending Gender : Why Family and Work Conflict and What To Do About It, that calls for the deconstruction of the ‘ideal worker norm’. She also suggests proportional pay, proportional benefits and proportional advancements will enable the continuous participation of qualified and educated women who have opted out of their career due to competing demand to balance family life and work priorities.
20. In this context, I do urge the male community to be much more sensitive and aware on the issues concerning diversity and inclusiveness in the workplace. Very often, in the effort to move the women’s agenda forward, the men are left out of the equation. They have an important role to play in helping women map out a path to leadership. This kind of partnership is necessary for meaningful initiatives to prepare women for key positions. So we do need to educate all the stakeholders – the public sector, the corporate sector, SMEs and community based organizations and our youth.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
21. Another critical factor in achieving the goals of the Ninth Malaysia Plan, is the importance of research and data collection. Statistical evidence is important to base our policies and programmes. Further, without specific information and knowledge about the current challenges preventing women’s full participation in the economy, it is difficult to come up with effective solutions. I believe the Ministry Women, Family and Community Development has already made a start with the establishment of the Institute Social Negara as the gender focal point for NAM, and also undertaken studies with UNDP in several areas. While I congratulate the Ministry for the efforts, nevertheless I do hope such efforts would be further intensified to enable us to be in a strong position to evaluate capabilities, address gaps and design effective action plans.
22. Ladies and Gentlemen, I see women emerging as leaders at many levels in government, in business and NGOs. They have demonstrated their ability to rise above self interest for the common good. The energy and commitment they have shown in improving their own lives and those of their families and communities, is evidence of their immense leadership potential. I believe we can draw much more upon this energy and commitment. I would like to conclude by making a call to all the stakeholders in national development. Look at what is needed to enhance the effectiveness of women in the workplace. Equip them with the right skills, the right values and the right mindsets. Give them the opportunity to grow and excel. Find a way to deal with the factors that are the making them drop out of the workforce at a time when Malaysia needs them most.
23. Ladies and Gentlemen, if we address these issues then, we will truly be making real progress towards becoming a nation of Excellence, Glory and Distinction. With that note, it is my pleasure to officiate the Women’s Summit 2007 entitle, “Putting Women At The Heart of Development”
Thank you.