Women see hope with Wan Azizah

Group believes issues could be addressed with her appointment to women and family affairs portfolio

PETALING JAYA: The appointment of Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as Women and Family Development Minister has given women renewed hope that the inequalities they face will be addressed.

These issues ranged from personal safety, access to justice, domestic responsibility to earning power or even employment opportunities.

“For the women’s ministry to be identified as part of the first 10 ministries of the new Pakatan Harapan Government, it signifies how women’s rights issues are of critical importance from the start,” said the Joint Action Group for Gender Equality (JAG) in a statement.

The group also implored Dr Wan Azizah, who is Deputy Prime Minister, to push for at least 30% representation of women in the Cabinet and state excos.

The enactment of a Gender Equality Act is a goal that women’s groups want Dr Wan Azizah to prioritise.

“The Gender Equality Act will not only prohibit gender discrimination but ensure that all women who experience discrimination can get justice.

“The Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) and JAG have drafted a proposed Gender Equality Act which we hope we can present to Dr Wan Azizah,” said Meera Samanther, vicepresident of WAO.

Women’s Centre for Change Penang’s executive director Loh Cheng Kooi hopes that the new minister can draw up a plan of action towards ending violence against women and children.

“With the worrying level of domestic and sexual violence, and social ills happening, which affect many families, there is an urgent need to come up with a concrete plan of action – to help victims, train enforcement officers and implement prevention programmes to reduce violence and social ills in our society.

“And most importantly, to make sure that these plans are implemented with trained and committed people,” Loh said.

Single mother Indira Gandhi’s wishes are more personal – she hopes that Dr Wan Azizah will ease the burden of single mothers like her, not by giving them handouts, but by helping them find jobs with decent wages.

“Having to raise two universitygoing children on my below RM1,500 income is not easy at all. I may look very tough on the outside but our lives have not been a bed of roses.

“We’re not looking for handouts but opportunities to get a decent job. I work three jobs – I am a kindergarten teacher but I also teach tuition and transport children to school. But I am still struggling to make ends meet.

“And of course, my husband does not pay me alimony,” said Indira.

Postgraduate student Grace Tan feels that Dr Wan Azizah is “the right person for the job”.

“She is nurturing, intelligent and strong, and I think these are very important qualities to have because she needs to look after the welfare of women, see that they get opportunities for education and training and she has to empower women.

“Education opportunities and (vocational) training programmes for single women and housewives are important.

“This will help women be independent and not solely dependent on the income of their husbands which can leave them vulnerable to abuse and control,” said Tan, 29.

“Financial literacy programmes are also important as it can help low income families get out of the cycle of poverty. This will ensure their children have a better future.”

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