The Roundtable Participants were divided into twelve groups of approximately 10 persons each. Facilitators worked with them to discuss the six main topics presented in the morning. The groups then compiled their different recommendations to address several main issues. These were summarised for the Minister, Dato’ Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil by Dr Hamidah Merican who served as Moderator for the Roundtable. To avoid repetition, these recommendations are grouped here according to theme.

1 TOUGH TIMES: REBUILDING WITH STRENGTH AND INTEGRITY
The Roundtable Participants supported the Keynote Address by the Deputy Prime Minister which was seen to be a timely call to the nation to embrace equality between men and women. This was seen as a necessary progressive step towards the objective of 1Malaysia which is understood to mean Unity in Diversity, Equality and Justice for all.

Recommendations
1. Participants wholly endorsed the DPM’s call for principled development and urged that the government to strive for an uncompromising commitment to ethical, moral and spiritual values.
2. The objective of sustainability in action should be upheld in the national development and natural resource management policies.
3. Initiatives to build trust and transparency should be supported in tandem with efforts to eradicate corruption and personal opportunism.
4. The government should also engage and connect with the grassroots and create space for open and constructive discussion and social dialogue.
5. To ensure programmes and initiatives are ‘on-target’, the government needs to be more consultative by involving more women and women’s organisations in drawing up, reviewing and implementing policies.

2 BOOST WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION IN THE WORKFORCE
The rate of retrenchment amongst women is currently very high. This needs to be taken seriously as it will impact on the labour force participation rate of women in Malaysia. The CEDAW concluding comments on women and employment has recommended that government increase the participation of women and also compile data on labour force participation. The Ninth Malaysia Plan also has a strategic thrust on increasing women’s labour force participation.

Recommendations
1. The government needs to monitor this rate of retrenchment and put in place actions to address the CEDAW concluding comments on employment.
2. The government should remove the retirement age of 50 for women as this is being abused to ‘cast off’ capable women that are still willing and able to serve well but are considered to be ‘too expensive’ to employ. Women over 50 are still able to contribute and also need to earn income for their children’s education.
3. Set labour force participation targets for women.
4. Set targets for women in training programmes with particular focus on marginalised women.
5. Develop more self-employment opportunities and entrepreneurial development for those not in the formal employment sector.
6. Support small-scale businesses in the informal sector.

3 INSTITUTIONALISE FLEXIBLITY
Past Women’s Summits have discussed the need for greater flexibility for both men and women in order for them to be effective in the workforce and to manage their family roles. Inflexibility is forcing more women out of employment and weakening national productivity.

Recommendations
1. The government should take the lead by institutionalizing support services for childcare, flexible employment options and part-time employment or job-sharing as was discussed in previous Summits.
2. Incentives should be developed to encourage the provision more enablers such as Worklife Balance policies and childcare services.
3. Previous Summit Recommendations should be studied as more extensive suggestions have been captured there.

4 WOMEN’S REPRESENTATION ON BOARDS AND IN SENIOR MANAGEMENT ROLES
Women, despite being highly educated, are very poorly represented in senior management and leadership in both the private and public sectors. The lack of gender and diversity in positions of importance is considered to weaken the credibility and integrity of institutions and also reduce their competitiveness. More needs to be done to address the situation.

Recommendations
1. The government should take the lead by hiring more local women and expertise for Government-led projects and programmes.
2. The government should also evaluate hiring procedures to ensure that they are equal opportunity and meritocratic.
3. A mandatory policy for women’s representation on Boards of Directors should be made compulsory for companies that seek to list on Bursa Malaysia.
4. Review Nordic and African countries to understand how women have managed to obtain greater representation in government.
5. Build a database of capable and experienced women of integrity that could readily serve as Directors on Boards of Public Listed companies and other organisations.
6. The GLCs should be seen to be taking the lead in getting women on Boards and senior management. The statistics on representation in these companies should show an increase by next year.

5 ACCESS TO INFORMATION AND PROGRAMMES
There is presently a lack of access to centralised information on programmes and activities under the Government’s stimulus package for women-owned enterprises. It is widely perceived that obtaining support is complicated and bureaucratic.

Recommendations
1. Set up a Central Information Centre for women to access programmes, grants, opportunities, activities and advice under the stimulus package.
2. Efforts should be made to simplify and systematise the process.
3. This information should also be disseminated through a range of media - radio and television, online and print media and should be made available in ALL languages.

6 PROGRAMMES TO HELP WOMEN DEVELOP BUSINESS SKILLS
Programmes should be implemented to provide capacity building and training opportunities to enhance the performance and reach of women-owned enterprises.

1. KPWKM should work with relevant agencies to conduct business clinics to assist women with setting up, expanding or revamping their businesses.
2. Develop mobile units to assist grassroot enterprises that are not able to access services in the cities.
3. SMIDEC should be encouraged to offer soft-skills training. This could include assertiveness training and role-play exercises for women, and advice on how to market their services and products more effectively.
4. Mentoring and capacity building programmes should also be developed to support women seeking assistance with building their businesses.
5. Help women access ongoing programmes to reach wider local and international markets.

7 ADDRESS PROBLEM OF INADEQUATE FINANCIAL KNOWLEDGE
Women are often poorly equipped with knowledge on financial planning as they tend to leave these matters to their spouses or fathers. They suffer from messy personal finances and this can lead them to become vulnerable and fall into poverty which leads to stress and poor mental health. Their financial situation also impacts their families as women are the main ones looking after the immediate needs of their children and their parents.

Recommendations
1. Make counselling and training in financial planning and self development more widely available.
2. Include financial planning as part of the education syllabus.

8 EMPOWERING WOMEN TOWARDS GREATER GENDER EQUALITY
The empowerment of girls is dependent on clear messages on gender equality being planted at school level. Girls need to receive consistent messages that they can aim high in both the educational and the work sphere.

1. The national education system, syllabus and teaching training should be reviewed to weed out negative messages and stereotypes.
2. Programmes involving positive female role models for schoolchildren should be developed.

9 REDRESS INAPPROPRIATE PORTRAYALS OF WOMEN IN THE MEDIA
Current portrayals of women in the media encourage negative stereotypes of women.

Recommendations
1. Develop positive media resources for women by working with various media players in ALL languages - among the suggestions were a business radio station for women, online media and other networking tools for women.
2. Support dedicated women’s business channels on TV and radio.
3. Establish a media monitoring group to help challenge exploitative and negative images of women in the mass media as part of an ongoing education process to weed out this phenomenon.

10 MORE INFORMATION TO BENCHMARK WOMEN’S PROGRESS
In order to understand the effectiveness of programmes, it is vital that data and statistics are obtained and reported on.

Recommendations
1. Obtain and publicise relevant data
2. Publicise benchmarks and monitor statistics documenting women’s progress.

11 MEETING THE NEEDS OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
The Disabled and the marginalised are groups with very specific needs. These need to be addressed by a systematic and multi-pronged approach ranging from education and employment-support to ensure that these Malaysians are able to prodcutively take their place in society.

Recommendations
1. Create a multi-disciplinary medical taskforce for early intervention and the development of a planned approach to identify learning disabilities in students so that they may be assisted early.
2. Develop an Awareness Programme to ensure parents seek help for children with disabilities.
3. Fast-track an Action Plan to identify schools that can accept and integrate children with disabilities, and provide more support for Special Education training.
4. There should be more consultation with people living with disabilities and more representation on key committees and boards. They require higher visibility and the opportunity to voice their specific needs.
5. Develop a Watchdog Unit with individuals with social and legal background to develop a Reporting Scorecard for both Government and Corporate to track compliance on gender and disability laws and employment quotas.
6. To ensure that people living with disabilities have access to opportunities to find employment, the Government can assist by creating a database of women seeking employment and their specific skills and experience and matching these with prospective employers.
7. The Department of Welfare should look into becoming more service-oriented and conduct home visits or visit centres. Some of the current bureaucratic processes are inefficient and unnecessarily cruel to people who are not able to move around freely.

12 DISABLED-FRIENDLY BUILDINGS AND SPACES
The Government needs to take the lead in supporting more disabled-friendly buildings, spaces and transport if it is to effectively push the corporate and private sector to do the same.

1. Beginning with the current Department of Welfare, the government should request all agencies and departments to present a strategy to make their buildings more disabled-friendly and to operationalise a programme for action.
2. More should be done to encourage the corporate sector to do the same and to report on progress annually.

RESPONSE FROM DATO’ SRI SHAHRIZAT ABDUL JALIL

Dato’ Sri Shahrizat, who was present to listen to the recommendations, thanked the 130 women that had been involved in the 2009 Summit Roundtable. Acknowledging that the Women’s Summit was now in its seventh year, she shared that the Summit was first started in order to reach out to working women in the corporate sector, in business, as well as the public and non-government sectors.

She remarked that over the years, the Summit has amassed an impressive alumnus of women that bring with them in-depth perspectives and specialised experience and expertise. Having been given the opportunity to lead the Ministry once again, she believed that she needed to engage these women and organisations to speed up the process of developing policy and delivering effective programmes to the nation.

The Ministry’s role is especially challenging and wide-ranging - it looks after Malaysians “from the womb to the tomb” and this includes a wide range of groups and social issues, even natural disasters. She expressed her belief that the Women of the Summit represented a tremendous resource to the nation and could help her and her officers reach out to the various groups with which she is tasked with helping - senior citizens and the aging population, the disabled community, single-mothers, and women entrepreneurs were just some examples.

Following this year’s Summit, an immediate task would be to work with the Women’s Summit Secretariat to gather all the recommendations from previous year’s Focus Groups and Summit Roundtables and draw up an action plan to address them.

It would also be important to hold smaller follow up meetings for key issues in the coming months and she welcomed the continued participation of the Roundtable participants. She commented that it was vital to work across racial lines and perceived government-private sector divides if efforts are to positively impact our diverse society.

Ultimately, the objective in the next 12 months would be to implement policy developments by the next Summit or at least explain what had been done in order to advance these issues. In closing , she looked forward to reporting positive gains for women in Malaysia at the next Summit.

A medical doctor by training, Dr Nirmala entered insurance in order to gain more time with her young child. However, her affinity to the role was obvious and she steadily rose to her current position as CEO for ING. Sharing from her personal experience, she said that a crisis can be a stepping stone to success. The problems and crises we face often force us to make necessary and beneficial changes in life. In inviting her audience to find an “opportunity in crisis” or an “upside in downturn”, she believed that people still had the choice to either react in a positive or negative manner.

When she took up her position as CEO at ING in 2007, Dr Nirmala was immediately forced to contend with the recession which began in late-2007. Expansionary policies, fuelled by both demand and greed have contributed to the financial turbulence that the world is now facing. Naturally the financial sector, being at the forefront of the matter, has borne the brunt of the now full-blown global economic crisis.

When there is a crisis within the financial sector, there is erosion of trust among consumers, and this has certainly been the case in Malaysia. The current economic climate makes present complex challenges to management. And yet, even in times like these, it is still possible to see opportunities in a crisis.

Dr Nirmala’s perspective is that life is about making choices. She shared that a number of factors determine how we perceive problems and choices and gender is one of them. Research written up in the Harvard Business Review showed that women were more likely than men to see problems in a crisis situation. A survey also showed that only 22 percent of women saw opportunities in a crisis compared to 31 percent of men.

Women need to be more conscious of this tendency for them to be negative, and make a decision to change the way they respond to information and to practice being more positive about the situations they are facing.

Dr Nirmala shared some of advice and insights for dealing with the current economic climate. Most credible research indicates that it will likely be another six to eight quarters before the financial markets begin to show improvement, thus the challenge for businesses is to weather the storm. Her personal prescription for Malaysian businesses seeking to do this is as follows:

1. Know your core business
• Some businesses do not focus on their core business and go off on a tangent by doing what is trendy. She reminded them of the importance of protecting their core business at all costs.
• Understand your customers - for example, are they willing to pay or do they buy based on price alone? Do they switch easily or can you depend on their loyalty? What more can be done to cultivate this?

2. Manage cash flow
• In times of crisis, cash is king. Businesses must exercise prudence and take care not to over-leverage and over-extend themselves.
• Have a clear vision & strategy - develop a manifesto to ensure that your business stays on track.

3. Engage employees
• The single most important management decision is for employers to empower their employees.
• Employers should involve their team in brainstorming and charting their company’s growth strategies. They should meet regularly to discuss their approaches, and all staff should feel that they can make a useful contribution.

4. Ownership
• Employees must have ownership of the directions and changes taking place in the workplace.
• Keep lines of communication open to inform how decisions will affect everyone in the organisation. Involve everyone to build strong sense of belonging.

5. Risk management
• Organisations must have robust risk management strategies and be sure to cover business interests and operational costs.
“Vision without action is dreaming, action without vision is random activity; but vision and action together can change the world.” - Joel Barker

Dr Nirmala concluded by pointing out that women are unique and have their own strengths. She encouraged them to develop their own personal brand and not to be caught up in stereotypes imposed onto them by others. To do this, they also need to show their capacity for creativity and hard work, and their ability to learn and adapt.

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Shireen, who is the managing director of Corston-Smith Asset Management, is a strident supporter of Corporate Governance and writes a column on the topic for a major Malaysian newspaper. She was called upon to comment on this report and shared similar findings from her own survey of companies that have women in top management. These companies seem to do better because women bring to the table a different style of management.

Shireen posed a pertinent question, “If Lehman Brothers was Lehman Sisters, would Lehman have collapsed?” She went on to describe the composition of typical boards of directors. Even today, the old boys’ network dominates and this ensures that men, who invariably went to the same schools or universities, eat in the same restaurants and play golf at the same club, get appointed to boards of directors of financial institutions or public listed companies. They bring to the board the same values, beliefs, cultural backgrounds, loyalties and core competencies. These were the men who sat on the board at Lehman Brothers.

Shireen provide some interesting comparisons on how far women have progressed in the corporate world internationally.

• In the UK, only 6.6 percent of non-executive directors are women.
• In the rest of Europe, women only filled 12 percent of top management.
• Norway has now made it a mandatory to have 40 percent female directors for main listed companies since 2008.
• Spain instituted a gender equality law in 2007 which requires 40 percent women on boards by 2015. Compliance is required if a company tenders for Government jobs.
• In Asia, Malaysia sit in the No. 6 position with 5.2 percent female directors after Philippines with 10.3 percent at No.1; Hong Kong with 7.8 percent; Thailand with 6.7 percent at No. 3; Singapore with 6.2 percent and Indonesia with 5.5 percent occupying the spot ahead of Malaysia.

Some have criticised mandatory rulings which require a certain percentage of female directors:
• Men claim that they will have to vacate positions in favour of incompetent and inexperienced women. They also claim that there are not enough women to fill these posts.
• Others have said that female quotas should be applied to fishing and whaling, and not for women directors.
• Another contention has been that women in boards ape men and soon replicate their own old girls’ network to help women get top positions.

While men want to retain the status quo, Shireen said that having women on boards makes good financial sense. After all, many companies cater to female customers and having no women on their boards limits their perspective and puts them at an obvious disadvantage.

Shireen went on to outline available evidence of how having women on boards has been particularly rewarding:
• According to McKinsey’s research presented at the Women’s Forum for Economy & Society in Deauville, France, there is a clear correlation between companies that have better-than-average financial performance within their sectors in European companies with the proportion of women on their boards. This better financial result is measured in terms of return on equity, operating results and share price growth.
• Companies with a third or more women on senior team have a higher return on equity. These companies have higher “organisational excellence” which include accountability, innovation and positive work environment.
• Catalyst’s US boardroom research showed Fortune 500 companies with highest number of female directors are more profitable and efficient.
• The Catalyst’s survey showed companies with three or more women on their respective boards of directors, on average gave an 83 percent higher return on equity, a 73 percent higher return on sales and 112 percent higher return on invested capital.

Clearly, despite the naysayers have to say, the numbers really do the talking!
Shireen went on to explain why women make a different and why we need them on Boards.
• Women are always asking questions. They are not shy to admit that they do not know something.
• Women on boards are working instead of sitting on the board. They read minutes and raise the level of discussions on boards.
• The old boys’ network on many boards ensures many issues do not get discussed or questions to not get raised as the members of the board share similar values and opinions.
• Gender diversification and internationalisation of boards of directors force companies to bring in different pools of talents. This diversity dilutes “groupthink” and widens the scope of discussions based on many different perspectives.

From her experience as a successful fund manager with ING, and now running her own asset management company, Shireen said women’s weaknesses lie in their failure to network or link up effectively. To get more women on boards, more effort must be put into doing the following:

• The government must work with national bourses to make it a listing requirement.
• It needs to be made known that women can make very effective non-executive directors even though they might have non-traditional CVs, or may never have been a CEO or previously served on a board.
• Women who have leadership potential must push themselves, move out of their comfort zones and accept that they have no reason to be shy about their talents and accomplishments.
• Women need encouragement to step forward - to this end it is necessary to find coaches, colleagues or partners who can be mentors.
• Director training programmes for women is an important necessity to prepare women for decision making roles in the corporate sector - there are many qualified women in other sectors who are doctors, lawyers or academics for example.
• Training programmes should involve simulated board meetings to give female candidates a chance to acclimatise themselves to board settings, demonstrate their strategic thinking, financial savvy and handling of governance matters.
• Develop mentoring programmes with existing corporate leaders. In the UK, there is a FTSE 100 Cross-Company Monitoring programme where Chairpersons mentor senior women in other companies to help redress the gender imbalance in boardrooms.

Shireen concluded by saying that the surveys have shown that women are needed on board; now women just need to do it - “get a mentor, do due diligence and get into the boardrooms!” she exhorted.

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The 2009 Women's Summit speakers and panelists

The response was overwhelming. Women lined up to ask the DPM questions affecting them as women, the homemaker and career women. Due to the DPM’s tight schedule, only a dozen women managed to pose questions to the guest of honour. To ensure a smooth exchange of questions and answers session, the DPM took 3 questions at one go before responding.

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The DPM delivering his Keynote Address, Tough Times: Rebuilding with Strength and Integrity

Question 1 - Fiscal stimulus package and women

Sonia Ong put forward the first question on women’s participation in the labour force which has remained consistent between 44 and 47 percent in the last three decades which is well below the participation rate for men in the labour force which is between 80 and 86 percent. She wanted to know if the Government’s fiscal stimulus package would consider setting specific employment growth targets for women.

Tan Sri Muhyiddin replied that the main aim of the Stimulus Package is to mitigate the impact of global economic crisis on the domestic market. So far, RM67 million has been dispersed to all areas to provide jobs and to create opportunities for training. Though there are no specific programmes to address the unemployment of women in the market, he added there are specific incentives and grants dispersed to companies so that they do not retrench and retain their staff.

Under the Stimulus Package, there are no specific targets on how to push women into the job market. However, the package has provision for targets that are broad based. The Government is keen to put in more effort to train women to become entrepreneurs. Funds have been put aside for this purpose by providing women with seed money and to develop more female entrepreneurs for the small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Question 2 - Discrimination and unemployment of women over 40

The next question focused on the high unemployment rate among women above 40 and how the Government can create jobs for this group of women as they can still contribute in terms of their skills.

The DPM noted it merits a serious look on how to deal with this issue. He noted the agro-based industry provides many opportunities and funds are still available, therefore, he strongly encouraged the women to grab opportunities in this sector.

Question 3 - Support for the tourism industry

The next question came from Ms Jenny Shabuddin, who is a long-time player in the tourism industry having been in the business since 1962. She said that the economic crisis has affected all industries, including the tourism sector, in the country. She acknowledged that manufacturing has always been the No.1 earner for Malaysia, with tourism bringing in the ringgit in second position. However, she wanted to know why manufacturers are able to have their expenses related to promoting their products overseas reimbursed through Matrade while the tourism players’ do not have the same privilege.

Tan Sri Muhyiddin acknowledged the present state of the economy especially in critical sectors requires immediate attention as foreign investment in the manufacturing sector is not even half the amount for the same period as in 2008. Therefore, the Government is pushing other industries such as tourism to bring in the ringgit and develop the service sectors. This can either be done through MITI or Matrade. He added he would require both agencies to review their policies so that either agency will undertake to bear some costs incurred by the players in the tourism and service sectors. He concluded by saying he hopes to see changes made so that “tourism can be accorded the same treatment.”

Question 4 - Women in the ICT sector

Heng who comes from the Information & Communications Technologies (ICT) sector wanted to know if there is an overall plan to assist women in ICT and how all the women can work together to bring about the benefits to all in the industry.

The DPM noted that as the traditional ringgit earner such as manufacturing has taken a beating, it is time to bring forth industries like ICT and green technology as the way forward to develop the economy. He added these industries are the fertile ground for creativity and innovations to develop. In particular, there will be a special conference on Green Technology to be held later this year.

Another sector that is getting a lot of attention from the Government is renewable energy. New policies are being put into place to develop this service sector. The Mid-term Review is being done now and the DPM said a rolling budget is being developed to provide funding for the areas of leadership and development.

Question 5 - Opportunities for women in Greenfield sectors

The next question was from Ms Yin Sin who wanted to know what opportunities are available for women in greenfield sectors. In preparation for future development, the DPM said he would like to see more representation of women in the industry as women are equally capable and qualified or able to fill the positions.

Question 6 - Diversification of GLC Board rooms 

Another question from the floor referred to why board rooms in Malaysian GLCs are full of men and when the Government will be more pro-active about requiring having women represented on these boards. The DPM commented that the low representation of women in top positions and on the board of GLCs could be due to weaknesses in recruitment and implementation. He further suggested that putting in more MPs may be the way to go, although there are more considerations to look into as in any election, the Government need to choose a candidate that can win the vote. As for getting more women in the boardrooms, women have to be qualified and earn the positions based on merit.

With regards to enforcing the policy, the DPM wondered aloud as to how it can be enforced, not only at the Government agencies level but in the private sector as well. Perhaps it needs to be discussed at the cabinet level, he added.

Question 7 - Cost of hiring domenstic workers

A woman in the audience wanted to know why it is so costly to hire Indonesian maids to help with caring the family while Malaysian women work.

The DPM who sits on the cabinet committee on foreign workers said one of the reasons is the many reviews on charges. He added these charges could be manipulations by agencies and that the Government need to look into the cost of bringing in these maids.  A meeting between the Home Affairs Ministry and its counterparts in Indonesia was initiated and intent for discussion was sent but our Ministry has yet to receive any response from the Indonesian officials.

On the high cost of maids, the DPM believed that many Malaysians find the cost high because the maids that are brought into Malaysia do not meet the expectations. He said the agents must bring in the right maids and they must be well-trained. Most complaints that the Government receives are about maids who are not properly trained. Therefore, if the maids are well-trained and are doing what is expected of them, the complaints would not arise.

Question 8 - Malaysian women in distress in Taiwan
One of the attendees asked if the Malaysian Government can do more to help Malaysian women who are being sexually abused by their spouses in Taiwan. She said right now these women have no recourse and no one to turn to as there is no Malaysian Embassy in Taiwan.

Tan Sri Muhyiddin explained that the matter was a complex one as officially Malaysia does not adopt the two China policy and recognises only mainland China. Therefore, Malaysia only has trade and friendship agencies in Taiwan to help Malaysians living in Taiwan in a less formal manner.

Question 9 - Equal opportunities for transgender Malaysians
Another member of the floor wanted to know how the Government can help the marginalised group, specifically the transgender, get more jobs.

On this question, the DPM said that he lacked exposure to this group of women but stated that under the Constitution, the Malaysian Government does not discriminate against any race or gender. Therefore, these women should have access to job opportunities like the other women.

Question 10 - Requiring more women directors in GLCs

Moving back to a discussion of women in the board room, another participant wanted to know why board rooms in GLCs are dominated by men. She asked when the Government was prepared to put more women into the board rooms.

According to Tan Sri, he was not sure what the basis of selection of board members was, that is, how one gets selected. He added that CEOs and other important personalities within the GLCs would make the recommendations for the selection of new board members. Currently, women only make up 12 % of top positions in GLCs, hence, the DPM believed the Government can use GLCs as the means to facilitate the Government’s policy of putting 30% women into decision making positions and the board rooms.

On the private sector front, he suggested that Dato’ Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil can make recommendations to smooth the way for women to sit on boards of directors. However, he added women themselves must strive to earn these top positions based on merits, capabilities and ability.

Question 11 - Permitting women to work after the age of 50

Next, a woman wanted to know if the Government can change the ruling on the retirement age in the private sector. Men now retire at age 55 but women are expected to stop work at 50. She added at that age, women can still contribute and for them to retire at 50, it poses a difficult situation as it is hard for them to get another job but too early to stop working. At this age, families have financial pressures arising from funding the education of their children, thus women over 50 still need to contribute financially.

The DPM expressed surprised that while the Government has extended the retirement age to 58 in the public sector, the private sector has not followed suit. He was not sure why private corporations still limit the retirement age for women at 50 and for men at 55 because if one were to look at other economies, many governments have extended retirement age to tap into the vast knowledge and experience this group of employees have garnered. He said the Government needs to take a look into the low more seriously to retain these talents.

On the question of his view of introducing legislation to put more women in GLCs, Tan Sri said there are policies being put into place to encourage more GLCs to employ women. However, he said there is a need to change the mindset of CEOs and shareholders on hiring women. Women need to prove they are capable and ascend to top decision making positions based on their own merits. He was not sure if instituting laws to employ more women would be the way to move forward and this move needs further study by the Government. A better way is to use companies with women in leadership positions as the model and to show other companies that women can serve as well as men. Therefore, there is no reason why women should not be hired.

On that note, Tan Sri Muhyiddin had to end the dialogue session and leave for his next engagement. Though there were more women who wanted to pose questions to him, the floor had to be contented with the ones asked and answered. On the whole, the participants were happy to be able to “speak to the DPM directly” for the first time at The Women’s Summit 2009.

Building an International platform for Malaysian Business

The first panelist, Dato’ Kaziah Abdul Jadir, who in her capacity as the Deputy Director General 1 of MIDA was involved in designing Malaysia’s Industrial Master Plans and developing the country’s profile international trade and business arena. Now retired from government service, she continues to be active as an Advisor on Investor Relations for the East Coast Economic Region Development Council (ECERDC).

Dato’ Kaziah provided an overview of the government’s efforts to build a platform for Malaysia to develop as a major trade partner on the global stage. Detailed analyses of market trends and prospects were made to identify industries, products and activities for support. These have been further assisted by painstaking bilateral trade negotiations and participation in ASEAN initiatives that have resulted in Free Trade Agreements that have now opened the way for Malaysian products and services to penetrate new markets.

With the IMP3 (2006 - 2020) the main thrust of the Plan is to deepen the manufacturing sector with more high-end products and to enter into new growth areas. IMP3 seeks to facilitate the expansion of domestic-oriented services with a particular emphasis on business and professional services, logistics, tourism, education and ICT. The third thrust of the IMP3 is to take Malaysia offshore, something which is facilitated by a more open trade environment and the reduction or elimination of tariffs on most merchandised goods, and the gradual removal of barriers to investment and services.

However, Dato’ Kaziah cautioned that the new global trade climate could be a double-edged sword if Malaysian businesses are complacent and do not equip themselves to become much more competitive. A freer trade market could also mean that Malaysians could also lose local market share in Malaysia with the in-flow of cheaper products and higher quality services from other countries.

In addressing the Summit audience, a large proportion of whom hail from the private sector, Dato’ Kaziah highlighted the need for both the government and private sector stakeholders to work more closely and collaboratively - a relationship that is best modeled by countries like Japan and South Korea. She urged professional bodies and stakeholders from the various stakeholders to build or strengthen organisations so that they can collectively represent their interests to government with whom they can jointly outline a plan of action.

Taking a critical but constructive look at the current situation in the country, Dato’ Kaziah said that there seemed to be a critical disconnect between the government and the private sector. This, she believed stemmed from a lack of trust between the two which has arisen from a poor understanding of the government’s policies, rules, regulations and actions by the private sector. Similarly, the business models, plans and interests of local enterprises are not well understood by public officers. She felt it was important to find ways to bridge this gap in order to create a more effective partnership between the government and private sectors.

For the government’s part, an important step would be to be more transparent in its dealings and more efficiently share knowledge and information with the private sector. For their part, the private sector could play a role by organising itself into professional industry-specific associations and to regularly engage the Government on matters of mutual interest. Ultimately this will see all parties aligning efforts and resources as it moves forward to advance Malaysian business interests in the world market.

She concluded by encouraging summit participants to investigate business opportunites which can be found in abundance in the East Coast Economic Region Development Council (ECERDC), many of which involve linking up with small women-owned businesses in the East Coast.  

Remove “Adversity’ through Diversity

The second panelist was Bobbi Dangerfield who joined Dell Global Business Centre in Malaysia as its Managing Director in 2008. Addressing the Summit on the topic ‘Opportunities for Enterprise’ she shared her perspective as both a working mother of two, and a senior manager of a global corporation striving to lead her team and keep her company competitive.

Bobbi took a moment to introduce the Summit participants to her family. She acknowledged her supportive husband whose vocation as an artist affords him the flexibility to care for their teenage twins an enables her  to prove herself in the corporate sphere. She admitted that for women climbing the ladder in the corporate sector, work life balance remains an elusive concept and succeeding has a lot to do with making choices and compromises.

Bobbi’s career roadmap certainly demonstrates that a woman’s career development is anything but predictable. Graduating with a Degree in Computer Sciences and Math, Bobbi went on to serve in a number of companies in several evolving-capacities starting with software programming and technical support, and going on to sales, customer service, marketing and finally joining the management team helming the global computer manufacturing giant, Dell.

Throughout this journey, her simple philosophy of never turning down an opportunity has served her well. In reflecting on her career progression, she exhorted the Summit participants to “Take Risks!” and never to rule themselves out of the running because they feel they lack the experience or a proven track record. In her view, leaving one’s comfort zone makes it possible to discover one’s capabilities. “If you are given an opportunity, then use it to knock the ball out of the park!” she emphasized, borrowing a popular American expression.

Prior to being posted to Malaysia, Bobbi served as General Manager to Dell in El Salvador, leading Customer Tech Support, Consumer Sales and Care for both the US and Latin America markets. Taking on the position in El Salvador was undoubtedly one of those comfort zone leaving challenges! Bobbi had never previously lived abroad and had to take up intensive lessons in Spanish. But these challenges paled in comparison to the guilt of uprooting her children from their home, school and friends. She conceded that it is certainly difficult for a mother to put her children through tough changes. However, she is pleased to say that her family readily adapted to their new setting and today wholly appreciate the broader perspectives gained from living in different countries.

Bobbi shared that in challenging economic times, it is essential to ensure that you have the best business team. A key component to this is empowering women and embracing diversity within your organisation. Dell’s support of Diversity and Inclusion involves making a commitment to ensure that there are more women and minorities in senior levels of management. The company has a support network for women within the organisation called Women in Search of Mentoring or WISE. This is particularly important as they increasingly take on male-dominated disciplines and management roles. Through WISE, women come together to network and seek guidance from experienced colleagues, and also address work life balance issues. “As we strive to bring more diversity into our workplace, as we talk about adversity, this kind of activity helps to remove some of the obstacles that women in particular face as they try to manage their work and their life outside of work”.

The equal opportunity agenda aims to treat people fairly, to remove barriers to this and to redress existing imbalances, so that groups which continue to be disadvantaged gain access to opportunities for full participation in the workplace and wider society.

The words diversity, equal opportunity and gender mainstreaming are often interpreted to deal with feminism and women’s rights. This perception is misleading. Bobbi took a little time to make clear what diversity and inclusion are not. “Equal opportunity is not about reducing standards, it is not a distraction from more important issues, it is not just about tokenism and political correctness and finally, it is not about removing our prejudices - it is about recognising they exist and then questioning them before we act,” she said.

Although Dell’s 80,000 strong global workforce may have a common culture and shared values, this does not compromise individualism. Managing and valuing diversity means that you seek difference, value it and capitalise on it. According to Bobbi, diversity in the workplace places companies in a better position to cater to their customers.

Bobbi concluded by saying that making the most effective use of the differences and similarities between people and cultures contributes to creating working environments that understand and respect differences and relate these to our common humanity.

“It helps us to better understand our customers and take many points of view into consideration as we develop products and services, marketing and sales campaigns and customer experience requirements,” she said.

Is there Opportunity for Enterprise? The answer lies within you

The final panelist, Christina Chia, who is a successful lawyer and speaker, asked the Summit participants to take a more introspective look within themselves to evaluate their personal and professional goals and what they can do today to achieve them. Christina needs to look no further than her own life experience in order to find proof of her convictions. She was a bright young girl and had dreams of becoming a scientist. However her personal circumstances made this dream a near impossibility. Her family was poor and as the eldest of eight siblings, she had to do her part to contribute financially. She became a dental nurse but began to study law part-time. It was a struggle, but she manage to obtain her qualification and join the profession and in her own words she has “never looked back.”

It was the great philosopher Socrates that first instructed  ”Know yourself.” Christina emphasised that this wisdom is relevant event today. “The better you know yourself, the better the decisions you make. The better the decisions you make, the better your life will be,” she enthused.

The second lesson to learn was to Understand the Laws of Nature. Everything has got its time, reason and season and in every adversity there lies within a seed of equivalent or better benefit. She addressed people that might be facing challenging circumstances and encouraged them to look for this “seed of equivalent or better benefit”. Rather than give in to pessimism, it is infinitely more valuable to be positive and persevere no matter what the situation

The third lesson she highlighted was Success or Failure is a HABIT. “We are all creatures of habit and are influenced by our regular practices. She shared a short poem which illustrated why good habits are the keys to all success!”

Sow a thought and reap an action;
Sow an action and reap a habit;
Sow a habit and reap a character;
Sow a character and reap a destiny
Decide to be a success.

Napoleon Hill, the renowned motivational author and speaker, is most famous for this statement “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve.” Christina broke this declaration down into an easy to remember - CBA - Conceive, Believe and Achieve so that it is possible to remind ourselves not to give up easily.

Finally, she reminded the audience that “Thoughts are things“. Everything
begins with a seed of thought, and we are each today the sum total of all our thoughts, deeds and actions. “Nurture your mind with great thoughts, for you will never go any higher than you think,” she advised.

She highlighted an interesting scientific fact that the subconscious mind cannot differentiate between positive and negative, and right and wrong thoughts. Therefore, it is critical that women pay attention to controling negative and disempowering self-talk. She encouraged women to break this habit and begin sowing the seeds of change in their life by simply changing their thought habits. In her recent book, Mind Garden, she powerfully illustrates these points, and provides practical steps for women to take charge of their thoughts, change their habits and take a more pro-active approach to challenges and achieving their goals.

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The 2009 Women's Summit speakers and panelists

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Speak Up Successfully

Heather Hansen began the Learning Lab by asking all the participants to introduce themselves to someone from another table… with a pencil in their mouths! The resulting chaotic babble created not only the perfect ice breaker, but also proved a pertinent point - that to speak up successfully one has to speak clearly.

For the most part of the session, Heather provided various tips on exactly how participants are able to achieve clear delivery. Confidence, she said, is crucial. Too often, women are themselves not convinced what they have to say is important, hence they mumble or speak too fast, almost in apology for taking up their listener’s time. To speak effectively, women must believe what they are about to say is important and then say what they want clearly and articulately.

She pointed out that, in order to speak clearly, one has to pronounce properly. She then got the participants to go through an exercise in pronunciation, which highlighted an interesting point, namely that Malaysians (like Singaporeans) have created sounds quite unique to us. One example is something in between the vowel sounds of “mat” and “met”. Instead of pronouncing the two words distinctly, Malaysians pronounce them in the same way with the new sound we’ve created!

Heather also talked about how important it is to stress the correct syllable in words, and how absolutely essential it is to get grammar right, especially something as basic as subject-verb agreement.

At the end of her session, she took questions from the participants, most of which centred on speaking in public. On the question of how to deal with nerves, she said it is normal, even for a seasoned speaker, to feel nervous about addressing an audience. However, preparation makes a huge difference. It also helps to take deep breaths, and to be confident that you both look good and feel good about yourself. Getting enough sleep, eating right and generally being in a healthy state of mind all have a role to play.

Power Up Your Business Writing Skills

Shirley Taylor began her session by telling participants about the importance of oral and written communication. She stressed that there is one golden rule in today’s business writing and that is to ‘Write as You Speak’. It is time to leave behind the stuffy and outdated expressions common in business letters. She proceeded to read out several classic examples of phrases that continue to make the rounds. “As spoken on the telephone when I called you this morning”, “Following your message to Mr John Lim, I am now replying”, “Kindly contact the undersigned if you require any further clarification”. Many of these examples had all the participants in stitches because most participants were guilty of having used at least one of them at some time or another.

These phrases are excessively formal, flowery and long- winded. Sometimes they don’t even make sense! The Lab participants resolved that they would do there best never to use them again.

Shirley went on to share five simple steps to improving business writing skills:

1. Avoid redundant phrases - Find a direct and easily understood way of saying what you want to say without repeating yourself.
2. Remember the KISS (Keep it short and simple) principle - Help busy people zone in on the purpose of your letter without wasting their time.
3. Use Active, not passive voice - Communications in this form are much more easily understood.
4. Use modern terminology - Do away with the ornate expressions of yesteryear.
5. Structure your message logically - Aim for clarity and you will accomplish your communication objective more effectively.

Shirley’s presentation was entertaining and interactive, and sprinkled with humourous and well-chosen anecdotes which helped illustrate how business writing can become a powerful communication medium if we put these five steps into practice. Participants were also encouraged to share some of their own examples of quaint business writing and this turned out to be quite hilarious. This was a stimulating and enjoyable Lab and time just flew by.

Unleashing Your Creative Genius

Each of us is inherently creative but many of us allow this to be stifled by other pressures that compel us to subdue it and push it into the background contends Alison Lester who facilitated a Lab to help participants ‘unleash their creative genius’. She explained that the enemies of creativity are politeness and a desire not to offend or upset others. In the work environment, this impulse prevents people from coming up with answers to problems.

At this Learning Lab, Alison stressed that it is not about whether your answers are right or wrong, what is important is having the confidence to put forward suggestions that you feel address the problems or issues being faced. She said that women in particular encounter this in their everyday lives in home, work and social situations.

This Lab was designed for participants to rediscover creativity. Using a series of games, Alison wanted participants to learn that it can be fun and enjoyable to think out of the box and to develop creative solutions to problems. Improvisation is the key, and the best way to do this is to “get out of your brains way” and allow it to create!

The first two games had participants sharing stories with each other and exchanging ideas and words to build up a story so that the end result was a shared experience. Another game involved revisiting a negative experience and changing the story into something positive.

Alison also highlighted the fact that creative people also generate positive energy and it is always desirable to find an environment that allows and encourages you to express your creative side. Another useful exercise is to ask people to creatively find positive elements even in situations that would normally be seen as negative. This approach encourages us to be positively pro-active in situations where we would usually react pessimistically. Overall the Lab was eye-opening; it forced participants to think about creativity in a whole new light.

Franchising - Is it for me?

The Learning Lab presented by Encik Salahuddin Sulaiman of Perbadanan Nasional Berhad was intended to give participants an overview of franchising as a business development option. The facilitator began by introducing the basics of franchising and describing prospects for being successful with this business model. He then spent some time giving some perspectives of the nature of the business which would help people consider whether this was an approach that suited them. Finally, he spent some time introducing PNS and explaining the organisations role, which includes providing assistance to franchisees and helping to finance products.

Participants were intrigued by the possibilities presented by franchising and curious to know more about PNS and the support it provides. Participants had the opportunity to pose questions during a dialogue session. En. Salahuddin Sulaiman elaborated on financial support given to new franchisees, the application process, the average cost of starting-up a franchise and the timeline for this process. He described the kinds of loan facilities offered and provided participants with the contact details of officers they can contact for additional advice.

Also on hand to provide firsthand experience of the franchise approach was Pn Sharifah Anom who is a franchisee of Aster Spring. She was able to field questions from women who were curious to know about her personal experience in this area. Questions for Pn. Sharifah were more related to the success and satisfaction of becoming a franchisee. Participants wanted to know more about the financial and mental preparation required in establishing a franchise. Pn. Sharifah offered her personal insights. She said that hard work and commitment to the business was crucial. She also said that support from family played a key role in the success of her business. The choice of franchise is also very important, and it makes a world of difference if you can secure a franchise in a business sector that you are passionate about.

[salutations]

Y.A.B Tan Sri Dato’ Muhyiddin Mohd Yassin
Timbalan Perdana Menteri Malaysia

Y.A.Bhg. Puan Sri Norainee Abdul Rahmad
Isteri Y.A.B Timbalan Perdana Menteri

YB Senator Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun
Timbalan Menteri Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat

Y.Bhg. Tan Sri Faizah Mohd Tahir
Ketua Setiausaha Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat

Distinguished members of the diplomatic corps
Distinguished speakers and facilitators

Ketua-ketua Jabatan dan Pegawai-pegawai kanan

Dif-dif jemputan,

Puan-puan dan tuan-tuan yang saya hormati sekalian.
Bismillahirahmanirrahim.
Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh dan salam sejahtera.

Syukur alhamdulillah kerana dengan izinNya dapat kita sekali lagi berkumpul pada tahun ini bagi menjayakan Sidang Kemuncak Wanita tahun 2009. Bagi pihak Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat, saya ingin mengalu-alukan kehadiran puan-puan dan tuan-tuan ke Sidang Kemuncak Wanita 2009.

Saya amat berbesar hati atas sambutan dan sokongan berterusan seperti yang ditunjukkan pada pagi ini khususnya di kalangan mereka yang tidak pernah ketinggalan menghadiri persidangan ini pada setiap tahun. Suka saya memaklumkan bahawa segala pandangan dan maklum balas yang diberikan oleh peserta telah diambil perhatian oleh Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat dan Kerajaan. Sebahagiannya telah dijadikan input kepada penggubalan dasar dan inisiatif untuk menambah baik kedudukan wanita dalam pekerjaan dan meningkatkan persekitaran kerja mesra keluarga.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

I am delighted to welcome the Deputy Prime Minister, Y.A.B. Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, to this year’s Summit. I believe this is possibly the first time he has been surrounded by so many women! I am sure we are all looking forward to what he has to say about how we, the women of Malaysia, can play an effective role in nation-building, particularly during these difficult times. Tan Sri, on behalf of all the women here, I would like to thank you for being with us, and also for agreeing to a dialogue session with the participants, following your keynote address. The request for a question and answer session came from some of the women during the pre-summit meetings. This is indeed, in tandem with the Government’s approach to listen to the rakyat and in this context to listen to the women who comprise half of the population. I am sure the discussion on some of the burning issues affecting working women will prove to be both interesting and insightful.

I would like to thank our speakers: Dato Nirmala Menon, Ms. Shireen Muhiudeen, Ms. Bobbi Dangerfield, Ms. Christina Chia and Dato’ Khaziah Mohd Kadir. They are all well-known in their respective fields and have achieved great success, and I am sure we will find them both informative and inspiring.

I am also happy to welcome our Learning Lab facilitators to their first Women’s Summit. Ms. Shirley Taylor, Ms. Heather Hansen and Ms. Alison Lester have come up from Singapore to be with us. I think those of you who have signed up for their Learning Labs will enjoy their sessions and find them very useful in improving your communication and creative thinking skills. I would also like to thank Mr. Salahuddin Sulaiman from PNS, who are going to present a very interesting workshop on Franchising Opportunities. All these Learning Labs offer a wonderful opportunity to improve existing skills and acquire new ability, and I’m sure you will make good use of it.

Women Tackling Adversity

Ladies and Gentlemen:

This year, we are meeting to talk about some of the adversities that women face in the Malaysian workplace, and how we can rise to these challenges and bounce back from the difficulties and setbacks that threaten our well-being and the quality of our lives.

Adversity is no stranger to us women. It has taken, and continues to take, many shapes and many forms. But there is no question that women have what it takes to get up and get going in the worst of circumstances. We are naturally resilient. We have the potential to bounce back from setbacks. Our short history is littered with the stories of women who have been knocked down in more ways than one. But they have got back up and fought for what they believed in. Those of you who have attended previous Summits will have heard first-hand, the stories of many women who have turned adversity on its head and used the crises in their lives as an opportunity to transform and enrich their lives.

Remember Diana Rose in Mukah - with her determination managed to breathe fresh life into Melanau culture and made it an attractive centre for craft and culture; and Chong Sheau Ching who has been abandoned by the husband successfully founded e-Homemakers, a community of teleworkers, homemakers and home-workers which has proven to be a godsend to countless mothers trapped between the need to work and the need to look after their children. What I mentioned is only a part of the whole episode. There are many more success stories out there.

What we learnt from the stories is, they are women with an inspiring, unbreakable, positive spirit, which sees a world ripe with possibilities. It is these everyday stories that speak most powerfully about women’s ability to turn adversity into opportunity. How can we use our innate strength and resilience to tackle the problems that confront us today, and turn the situation around for our own benefit and the benefit of our nation?

Ladies and Gentlemen:

I see four major areas of adversity facing our women today:

The Repercussions of the Recession

Today, women across Asia are feeling the effects of the economic slump. For instance, in the Philippines, women comprised 70 to 80 per cent of the Filipino workers being retrenched. In Malaysia, as of 3rd March 2009, 19,224 local workers have been retrenched. Out of this number, 50.7 per cent (9,749) were female workers despite women only accounting for 36.0 per cent of the total labour force.

Our female labour force is concentrated in the export industries which are hardest hit by the collapse of the markets. The fall in exports is concomitantly affecting women employed in the clothing, textiles and electronics industries. And when women lose their jobs, it has huge repercussions on a larger number of people - primarily children - and this is true above all for poor families.

During the last economic crisis, we saw how important it was to upgrade the skill level of women workers. It would help those who were retrenched to be quickly absorbed into alternative employment or income generating activities. For low skilled women at low level jobs, it would help them retain their jobs and improve their positions. In this regard, we should commend the Government’s effort to cushion the effect of retrenchment through providing training programmes for retrenched workers.

More recently the Government has introduced stimulus packages which reflect gender-based realities. These packages will see us spending more on health and education, which will benefit women. And under the National Key Areas announced by the Prime Minister last month, we will create a pool of 4000 women entrepreneurs by the year 2012.

All this will help us weather the storm of this adversity. But, as I am sure many of you will say, there is much more that needs to be done. What we need to do is to look at this economic crisis as an opportunity to take a more innovative approach to solving the problems that women face in the workspace.

Work-Life Balance

Ladies and Gentlemen:

A growing number of women in the workforce today, are struggling to balance their personal and professional lives in a way that doesn’t compromise the well-being of their families, particularly their children.
Women ‘choose’ not to work when conditions make paid employment unfeasible or costly e.g. when there is no child care available or when it becomes unaffordable. They move out of high prestige, well paid jobs because the requirements of a career in those jobs are increasingly formulated in a way that makes it impossible to balance work and family obligations. This is also the reason women are less likely to opt for high profile positions in an organization.

This issue has been a constant at practically every one of our Summits. We all know that people who manage to achieve a balance in their working and home lives, are happy, productive and efficient. We all know that people who lead an unbalanced life, are likely to suffer stress and ill-health, be less productive and less motivated. We have all heard time and time again, that work-life balance offers a win-win situation for both organizations and the people who work in them. We know all this, so we may wonder why is it taking so long for companies and organizations to make the necessary changes in the working environment…not just for women, but also for men. And I wish to stress here that the time has come for us to change our mindset and promote shared family responsibility between the husband and the wife.

The Gender Gap

Ladies and Gentlemen:

While Malaysian women progress remarkably, the Malaysia’s Gender Gap Index, launched in 2007, showed that women are still under-represented at the higher levels of corporate and political life. So although girls are outperforming boys in our schools and universities, this has not led to equally significant increases in women’s participation in the workforce and in decision-making positions. And in the 2008 Global Gender Gap Report, Malaysia slipped to 96th place from 92nd place in the previous year.

In effort to bridge the gap, the Government has adopted multi-pronged measures to mainstream gender perspectives into the development process, including formulating relevant policies, reviewing laws affecting women, improving the capacity of the national machinery for incorporating women’s perspectives into the development process, improving access to education, enhancing training and upgrading health care.

However, a gap between policy and practice has persisted. Thus, gender mainstreaming continues to be a challenge, not only for us here in Malaysia, but in most of the countries in the Asia and Pacific region. The challenges include the feminisation of poverty, and the concentration of the majority of women in the informal sector and in part-time jobs which are lower paid and offer less opportunities for training and promotion.

Given that women’s participation in the labour force is only around 47 per cent, we have a large reservoir of productivity. So it makes sense, both for the shorter as well as the longer term, that we tap into women’s productive power fully. It is critical for the women themselves. It will benefit their families. It will benefit men. It will benefit companies. It will benefit the economy. It will benefit the nation.

My Ministry is currently putting together an Action Plan for the advancement of women as well as for fast-tracking women into decision-making positions in both the public and private sectors. In drafting this Plan, we have looked at the feedback received and recommendations made at previous Women’s Summits. This includes the review of laws and regulations seen as discriminatory to women in the workplace, grooming women to become leaders through a mentor-mentee programme and encouraging the establishment of networks that help create greater collaboration and exchange of information and ideas.

Violence Against Women

Ladies and Gentlemen:

One of the biggest problems women in this country face is violence. Violence in their homes. Violence on the streets. Violence at work. And because women are the primary caregivers in many families, any threat to their safety and well-being, affects the well-being of their children.

A woman who undergoes abuse in her home suffers not only physically and emotionally, but also faces economic insecurity and less control over important decisions for her children’s health, nutrition, education and well-being. In addition, her children can be psychologically and emotionally damaged. This can have serious repercussions, often leading to substance abuse, juvenile pregnancy and even criminal behaviour in later life. And often, children who grow up with violence in the home learn to use violence in their interpersonal relationships to dominate others. Boys who see their mothers being abused are more likely to grow up and abuse their wives.

There can be no real peace in our country, until our women can go about their business without being robbed, and our girls can get to and from school without being raped; and until our wives and mothers and daughters can feel safe in their own homes.

Conclusion

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Gender empowerment is no longer a distant dream but a palpable reality. It is the progress that we as women have made that must encourage us and spur us on to even greater achievements.

Can anyone ever question women’s equality, their enormous talents and capabilities? And yet there are still many areas to be addressed if they are to achieve their full potential for the benefit of this country. Women are anxious - and justifiably so - about our future. What we have achieved so far has been the result not just of individual effort but of collaboration and consensus, a coming together of women united in a common purpose, seeking the common good.

And that is what I am looking to do. It is so exciting for me to see so many of you here at the Women’s Summit, women from different backgrounds, different age groups, and diverse sectors. It’s people like you - people with passion and enthusiasm and the will to act, working in concert with us in government, that can make a real difference.

How can we work together to turn these tough times to our advantage? How can we ensure that women’s contributions to economic recovery and future growth are fully harnessed and the gender outcomes we all want are achieved?

How can we work together to create a workplace of the future where people can marry both work and personal life so that neither employer or employee is short-changed? And to enable women to progress in the workspace and achieve their full potential?

How can we work together to support and protect the needs of women in the informal sector? And to ensure that women have greater access to training and enterprise development?

What can we do together to change attitudes and behaviour in order to create safe environments in the private and public spaces in which our women live, work and carry out their daily lives?

No one individual, organization or entity has all the answers. But together we can - and will - make things happen that will ensure that women in Malaysia become full partners in the progress and development of this nation. It will take courage, determination, an unwavering commitment, and a constructive approach.

I believe it can happen. I believe these tough times actually offer us unique opportunities to re-focus on what we can do and produce results that really matter. Let us, together, look beyond the adversity to the learning and the opportunity.

Thank you.

[Salutations]

Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh dan Salam Sejahtera,
Para hadirin yang saya hormati sekalian.

1. Alhamdulillah, saya bersyukur ke hadrat Allah s.w.t. kerana dengan limpah kurniaNya, kita dapat bersama dalam majlis Sidang Kemuncak Wanita 2009 yang penuh bermakna ini. Saya ingin mengucapkan ribuan terima kasih kepada Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat kerana menjemput saya untuk menyampaikan ucaptama dan seterusnya merasmikan Sidang Kemuncak ini.

2. Ucapan tahniah dan syabas juga saya sampaikan kepada pihak Kementerian kerana sekali lagi berjaya menganjurkan sidang kemuncak ini sempena Sambutan Hari Wanita 2009.

3. Tuan Pengerusi, izinkan saya untuk meneruskan ucapan saya dalam bahasa Inggeris.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

4. First and foremost, let me thank the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development for inviting me for the first time to address the Women’s Summit. It is indeed very heartwarming to know that this annual event organised by the Ministry has become a meaningful and well participated forum for Malaysian women to discuss and debate issues critical to the national agenda.

5. Malaysia has continued, over the years, to make conscientious efforts to enhance the potential of its women through laws, policies, advocacies, programmes and activities. With the conducive environment provided by the Government, to date, many Malaysian women have managed to break through the proverbial glass ceiling. However, I do recognise that there is still a need to further improve the participation of women in critical areas such as positions at the decision-making levels in both public and private sectors.

6. The quest for gender equality and justice in Malaysia has never been pursued at the expense of the males. Policies and strategies to improve the status of women are based on the concept and spirit of genuine partnerships and shared responsibility between all stakeholders, especially between men and women. The principle of shared power and responsibility at home, in the work place and in the community should be established in order to create a more gender responsive and just society.

7. I believe each and every woman here is a part of a group of dedicated Malaysians who is keen to see this nation moving forward and emerges as one of the most successful in the world. I know you are here because you want Malaysia to succeed financially, you want Malaysia to succeed economically, and you want Malaysia to succeed socially.

8. Let me assure you that the wheels of change for greater success have already been set in motion. We see the future of this country as being a partnership where both women and men work hand in hand to achieve one common goal that is to rebuild our nation with strength and integrity.

9. The present government under the leadership of Y.A.B. Dato’ Sri Mohd. Najib Tun Abdul Razak is making a fresh start in this regard. We have a rare, once-in-a-generation opportunity to re-imagine and re-construct our socio-economic framework that will shape this country, not just for a short term sparkle and crackle results, but for a long term sustainability of our policies and programmes, and a vision for a new nationhood that is truly One Malaysia.

10. It is now, more than ever before, that we need to remain faithful to the ideals of Merdeka. We need to uphold the spirit of Merdeka as envisaged by our founding fathers and indeed our founding mothers. We will do it in partnership with our women and men.

11. The idea of a summit where women who are in the work space are addressing the challenge of turning adversity into opportunity is quite compelling. I am delighted to see that Malaysian women remain at the cutting edge of competitiveness, and the Women’s Summit will provide opportunities for our women to share new ideas on how to excel in this challenging time.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

12. These are difficult times. I choose to call it challenging times. For when we are challenged, then we are forced to re-assess and build afresh. It is a good time for us to gauge our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. At the highest level of administration - at the Cabinet level we are looking at individual Key Performance Indicators for service delivery. This is to ensure that we all attain peak performance. You know as well as I do “when the going gets tough” then it really means “the tough must get going”.

13. In relation to this, it is important to note that the history of women all over the world has been fraught with many adversities. For instance, women have so much to teach us when it comes to handling the impact of stress in the workplace. I am referring to a new world of work and health for women. I am delighted to know that the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development under the leadership of Dato’ Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil has been steadily building a policy framework, with programmes that link women’s health to women’s wealth. In this increasingly challenging time, we have to learn how to transform stress into strength. And our women are all here to enlighten us.

14. And therefore the idea and vision of “Nur Bermula dengan Mu” (The Light Begins With You), the tagline for Women’s Day coined in the year 2000 is a way forward for all women in Malaysia.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

15. While we witnessed a remarkable progress of Malaysian women including Muslim women, unfortunately, Islam often conjures in some minds images of subjugation of women. Such perception needs to be corrected. The essence of Islam is revealed in the humanistic values it embodies. Islam promotes peace, tolerance and cooperation among all human beings. It accords human dignity, fosters human rights, emphasises family values, and prescribes equality for all, regardless of gender, geographical origin, colour, class or creed.

16. In Islam there is absolutely no difference between men and women as far as their relationship to Allah is concerned, as both are promised the same reward for good conduct and the same punishment for evil conduct. The Qur’an admonishes those men who oppress or ill-treat women. Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. (peace be upon him) said, “Women are the twin halves of men.” The Qur’an, in this regard, emphasises the essential unity of men and women in a most beautiful simile: They (your wives) are your garment and you are a garment for them.

17. In this spirit of equality, partnership and sharing, let me share with you what I see on the Malaysian horizon. I see an optimistic future. Following the contraction of our economy in the first quarter of this year, our prospects for the second half of 2009 and 2010 is already looking better. We are already seeing a meaningful recovery. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are predicting a mild recovery next year. For Malaysia, this will surely lead to a rebound. To give our slowly recovering economy greater bite and power, the Government has introduced a RM67 billion fiscal stimulus package which is expected to change our outlook from gloom to bloom.

18. I am looking at the next few months with great expectations for further improvement in our overall situation. It won’t be immediate. But there are indications that there will be improvements in the financial account on the back of a smaller net outflow of portfolio investments. We have evidence from our first quarter reports which showed only RM9.2 billion net outflow, as opposed to RM37.6 billion in the third quarter of 2008.

19. Amidst the crisis and the prospect for recovery, it is in areas of fresh growth or green field development that women can best shine. These include areas such as renewable technologies, the ICTs, eco-tourism, and the new and emerging technologies. These are areas not already occupied and dominated by men. I would like to quote from the March 2009 ILO Report on Global Employment Trends for Women. “It is evident that the world is facing a dramatic and unprecedented crisis that calls for creative solutions to address the gender gap. This enormous challenge also gives rise to opportunities to address the negative social consequences of globalization for women.” We can infer from this report the idea of more equal relationships, not only between the genders, but also between rich and poor, and between different occupational groupings.

20. The crisis has demonstrated clearly that there must be a dramatic shift to improve cross boundary relationships which include sustainability of jobs and social protection. But what I found most fascinating in this report is the recommendation for social dialogue. I have ALWAYS been a strong advocate of social dialogue which I believe allows all stakeholders to thrive and not just survive in a more challenging world.

21. The Women’s Summit 2009 is a platform for social dialogue - a dialogue which includes representation of women as major players in nation building to craft solutions to the economic crisis. I will be looking forward to the recommendations that emanate from the Round Table discussions this afternoon. I am also interested to see that what has been started here today continues to take place throughout the year. It would be extremely important for all of you to continue to have dialogues in smaller groups in order to identify common challenges and to seek solutions.

Ladies and gentlemen,

22. To build with strength and integrity, we need to rekindle our moral, spiritual and ethical values. Today we need our corporate leaders and public sector senior officers to lay down strategies and policies on a strong ethical foothold. After all, the present crisis has been precipitated in part by excess greed, over zealous deregulation, willy-nilly application of free market principles, rapacious bankers, ignorance of consumers and the unfettered ruthlessness of the Wall Street.

23. We also need a new kind of leadership that is committed to elevate the status of women in our society. The government has already agreed to the 30 percent target for senior positions in the public sector to be held by women. We would like to see this being emulated in the corporate sector as well, where women’s participation at the decision-making level is still underrepresented. The percentage of women who are members of board of directors continued to decline from 9.9 per cent in 2004 to 6.1 per cent in 2008. Currently, only 12 per cent of women are holding top positions in the government-linked companies. However, women holding the highest positions, from general manager to president or CEO of companies, increased gradually from 13.5 per cent in 2004 to 26.2 per cent in 2008.

24. But women themselves must strive to earn these coveted positions
based on merit, capabilities and experience. It is to our national advantage that women excel in various fields and continue to play an important role in socio-economic development of the country. The cost of women’s exclusion is too high for us to bear. What is even more, promoting gender justice and women empowerment are not only essential to our economic development, but also a great leap forward in nation building.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

25. I gather that the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development has outlined and put in place a policy to enable women to have interesting careers and enriching personal lives. Indeed, we have made a good start by doing this and we now need the women, especially the trailblazers, the powerful women who have created their own paths to success, to come forward in forums like this to share their knowledge and experience with other women. We will offer undivided support for our career women to climb the highest ladder in their career, while at the same time living an enriching and fulfilling personal and family lives.

26. In relation to this, I believe that both men and women with talent are increasingly interested in blending parenthood with a career. The careers they seek today, however, are not the traditional full-time, office-bound roles.

27. Earlier this year the American Pew Research Centre released a survey that found 60 percent of working mothers preferred part-time work, up from 48 percent ten years ago. But many women - and men - find following the traditional corporate ladder to be difficult in reaching both their personal and professional goals.

28. Malaysia is not spared from this phenomenon. The last Population and Family Survey conducted by the National Population and Family Development Board in 2004 revealed that 55.7 per cent of women respondents involved in the survey stated that they decided to resign due to family responsibilities.

29. In order to assist working women and men to reconcile family and work responsibilities, the Government has taken steps to introduce more conducive and family friendly working environment. This includes the provision of launching grants for government offices and the community-based organisations that provide childcare centres as well as providing a subsidy for childcare fees to qualified parents. In addition, the private sector, being the largest employer in the country, is encouraged to provide more conducive working arrangements that take into account equal sharing of responsibilities of men and women in the family. These include new and flexible working arrangements such as tele-working, part-time work and job-sharing.

30. I believe that in the future, we are looking at a talent market, where new work models will emerge. The top talent, who will be even in greater demand, will be those who are able to strike a balance between personal and professional priorities, while delivering high quality results in a sustainable manner.

31. The idea of work till you drop and young high flying executives suffering from corporate burn out will be a phenomenon of the past. In this regard, I think we must be thankful to the women. Women have always been able to multi-task and keep a fine balance between work and home priorities.

32. Today what was seen as a strictly woman’s issue, is now becoming a universal concern - that is to strike a balance between professional and personal priorities. This is happening across gender, age, culture and family status. I am looking forward to the day when we have a balanced and happy workforce that will help us build strong families, strong societies and indeed a strong nation.

33. Finally, let me end my speech by saying: “Nur bermula dengan Mu”. You are the source of light. So light up this nation with your knowledge, your skills, your energy, your love and your infinite wisdom. It now gives me great pleasure to declare this conference open.

Wabillahi al-taufiq wal hidayah wassalamu’alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.

Thank you.

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 18 (Bernama) — Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said today there is still a need to further improve the participation of women in critical areas such as decision-making in both the public and private sectors. The deputy prime minister said the women themselves must strive to earn these coveted decision-making positions based on merit, capabilities and experience.

While the government had agreed to the 30 per cent target for senior positions in the public sector to be held by women, their participation at that level in the corporate sector was still under-represented, he said in his keynote address at the Women’s Summit 2009 here.

On that score, he said, the corporate sector should emulate the public sector’s move to institute more participation of women at the decision-making level.

The percentage of women who were members of the board of directors in the corporate sector continued to decline from 9.9 per cent in 2004 to 6.1 per cent last year and only 12 per cent women were holding top positions in the government-linked companies (GLCs).

However women holding the highest positions, from general manager to president or CEO of companies, increased gradually from 13.5 per cent in 2004 to 26.2 per cent in 2008, he said.

In the question-and-answer session later, Muhyiddin said the policy to target more women to hold important positions had already been spelt out very clearly but the question now was how to enforce it and make it happen not only at the agency level but also the GLCs.

“This is something I will take note of and maybe there is a need for the government at the cabinet level to discuss and delve into details on how this plan could be executed,” he said.

To another question, Muhyiddin said it was demeaning to know that some companies in the private sector did not adopt the same policies and rules as the public sector in terms of retirement age, which has been extended to 58 in the public sector.

“I do not know why the private sector acts that way because women of that age are still very productive. You have sort of reached the peak in terms of experience, they should retain you, unless there is some male chauvinistic CEO who thinks that women should leave earlier,” he told a participant who had complained of gender discrimination in some private companies which set the age of retirement at 50 for women and 55 for male employees.

He said he would take the complaint seriously, including to look into laws that might need to be review.

He also said that the government would study closely the suggestion to make it mandatory for agencies and other sectors to employ more women.

Responding to another question, Muhyiddin said there was a strong case for women to fight for more representation on the GLCs’ board.

Asked why most GLCs boards were dominated by men and whether women would be given a chance to lead these companies, Muhyiddin said the weaknesses in the recruitment process, procedures, policies and implementation sometimes denied equally capable and qualified women the opportunity of holding important positions, including those in the government.

He said, however, that the 30 per cent policy for women participation did not apply in politics as it was subjected to certain considerations like acceptance by the electorate.

The one-day summit, themed “Can Women Turn Adversity Into Opportunity?” was attended by 1,000 participations from around the world.

– BERNAMA

At the Women’s Summit this year, participants were given plenty of tips, advice and motivation to turn breaks into breakthroughs, in line with the theme Can Women Turn Adversity Into Opportunity? More than 1,000 women and men from the public and private sectors who attended the day-long Summit held at the Sime Darby Convention Centre walked away with much more than the inspirational talks and useful learning labs that have become the hallmark of the annual event.

The theme for this year’s Summit was chosen given the economic crisis facing all nations globally. Also as a result of the economic downturn, a number of private sector organisations stepped in to partner the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, which organises the annual Women’s Summit, in mutually beneficial ways.

Dell Global Business Centre, whose Managing Director Bobbi Dangerfield, was one of the key speakers, set up a booth at which women - including those who are disabled - were able to sign up to be recruited into one of the world’s leading manufacturers of desktops, workstations, notebooks, servers and storage products.

Dangerfield, who leads Dell’s diversity and inclusion initiatives in Malaysia, said: “Effective diversity management helps us eliminate barriers that prevent us from working as a team, respect each other for who we are and the skills we bring to Dell, and focus on winning in the marketplace. Our ability to truly access the talent of each person, work together and leverage the differences and similarities each of us brings to Dell makes us more productive and ensures our continued success.”

Meanwhile, regional representatives of Soundview Executive Summaries, a web-based company that summarises top-selling business books into information-packed eight-page editions, offered the participants examples of works that have helped millions of readers around the world. Sudesh Panicker, Group Business Development Consultant of Soundview’s Singapore outfit, believes these summarised works, which distill the thoughts of prominent economists, financial gurus and entrepreneurs, are ideal for today’s working woman who is strapped for time.

“Instead of having to go through 200 to 300 pages, our summaries condense all the relevant information of best-selling books into eight pages, which anyone can find the time to read. Also, we find that those who read our summaries tend to remember the key points being made by the authors better than those who plough through the complete versions of the books.”

In addition to job opportunities at Dell and book summaries from Soundview, participants at the Women’s Summit also benefitted from the interactive Learning Labs. This year, there were four Learning Labs, two on the art of communicating, one on creativity and the fourth on franchising. The labs were:

• Speak Up Successfully. This Learning Lab, ran by Heather Hansen, helped women and men improve their ability to get what they want by understanding how verbal communication works.
• Power Up Your Business Writing Skills. Published author Shirley Taylor impressed on her Learning Lab participants how they can use the written word in the most effective way to enhance their business.
• Unleash Your Creative Genius. Actress, author and trainer Alison Lester knows what it takes to stand out and make your mark. She guided her audience to think creatively to gain a competitive edge.
• Franchising Opportunities. Led by Salahuddin Sulaiman of Perbadanan Nasional Berhad (PNS), this Learning Lab discussed the mechanics of franchising and informed the participants of the kind of assistance PNS provides.

The Women’s Summit 2009 is the seventh to be held. For the first time, however, the Deputy Prime Minister, who delivered the Keynote Address, answered questions from the floor following his presentation. A key differentiator between the Women’s Summit and other conferences that deal with women’s issues is that, here, participants have the ears of the Ministry and of representatives from the highest level of government.

During the Summit Roundtable, that took place in the afternoon, women sat in groups to discuss various topics related to the working environment, work-life balance and other relevant gender issues. They produced lists of recommendations to the Ministry, which were presented to the Minister of Women, Family and Community Development Dato’ Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.