Women in politics must show their abilities and change public perception: Rohani

PUTRAJAYA: Women involved in politics must show their leadership qualities and abilities to change the public and voters' perception that women cannot lead," said Minister of Women, Family and Community Development Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim.
She said the national achievement report tabled at the 59th session of the Commission on the Status of Women: Beijing +20 Review in March this year showed that Malaysia had successfully narrowed the gap of women participation in many critical issues, except at the decision-making level, including in the political arena.
According to her, the number of women elected as Members of Parliament and the Senate in 2013 were at 10.4% and 22.7%, while as of June, the number appointed as ministers and deputy ministers was only 13.2%.
"The role of women in Malaysian politics is big but their sacrifices must be recognised in accordance with the time and energy, as well as financial contributions made to enable our political parties to be successful.
"As such, women should lead the effort for the winds of change so that more women are elected as candidates during the coming general election, and more women politicians become exco or ministers and deputy ministers," she said in her speech at the National Women's Day celebrations at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC), here today.
Themed "United Effort: No Woman Left Out", the celebrations were launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak and was attended by about 3,000 women.
Rohani said Malaysia had made achievements in women's affairs at the decision-making stage in the corporate sector with the Hays Asia Salary Guide 2015 placing it in second place in Asia, after China.
She said 34% of management positions in Malaysia were filled by women compared to China (36%), Hong Kong (31%) and Singapore (27%).
In the public sector, she said as of June, 65.4% of women were at the management and professional level compared to 61.5% in 2012.
However, she said, the government's efforts to increase women participation at the board of directors' level to 30% had not yet been achieved, with only 10.8% of women at the level in government investment companies.
Earlier, Rohani also presented the ministry's certificates of acknowledgement to 70 companies which achieved the target of 30% women at the decision-making level. — Bernama