There should be more avenues for women to step up and fill key policy-making decisions in the country, said the Council of Malaysian Women Political Leaders.
Its president, Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin said female leaders have proven to be able to provide more empathy and relate better to stakeholders in ways that are more conducive.
“For example, New Zealand PM Jacinda Arden’s handling of the terror attacks in Christchurch in 2019 won global admiration with her calm, swift and level-headed response.
“Ex-German chancellor Angela Merkel also showed that leadership is about having a heart and allowing humanity to triumph when she allowed refugees into her country,” she said in conjunction with International Women’s Day on Tuesday.
The minister said politics need not always be based on cold unfeeling calculations.
“In Malaysia, we are now just eight years away from 2030, which is the deadline for us to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), which we have committed to.
“One of the SDG goals is gender equality, where women and men shall be given equal opportunities in the political, economic and other fields,” she said.
The Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities added that Malaysia was far from achieving the target of 30 per cent female representation in government, which is a universal standard.
“Malaysia needs to catch up through women political empowerment. Although we have been making baby steps, there is still plenty of room for improvement,” she added.
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