KOTA KINABALU: The Federal Government must honour its promise of a mandatory gender quota for corporate boardroom positions and other ‘goodies’ for Malaysian women and girls under Budget 2022, says former Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Christina Liew.
The Tawau MP reiterated that any socio-economic benefits to be derived from the national budget should filter down to Sabah.
“We are lagging behind many other countries, especially in Europe, which have long established gender diversity in corporate boardrooms.
“For more than a decade, there has been much talk in Malaysia about increasing women’s representation in boardrooms but to no avail. I am glad this time it is a legislated gender quota to ensure companies comply with the requirement.
“I know that many Sabahan women qualify to be appointed (as) boardroom directors but have not been given the chance even after they have completed training under the Women Directors’ Programme,” she said in a statement on Saturday.
Liew, however, said it is not clear what penalties will be imposed on companies failing to appoint women to sit on their board. “In Italy, for example, some defaulting companies were heavily fined by the authorities, based on media reports.”
On Friday, Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz announced that it will be compulsory for all major companies to have at least one female director on their board by September 2022, and for all other listed companies by January 2023.
According to him, from the top 100 listed companies, only 25 percent of their board of directors are made up of women, and that there are still 252 companies under Bursa Malaysia that are still devoid of women representation.
Meanwhile, Liew, who is also Api Api Assemblywoman, urged women who have been jobless for more than one year, single mothers and housewives to take advantage of the “job guarantee” initiative in Budget 2022 as revealed by the Finance Minister.
She said the Government’s announcement of the initiative (known as ‘Jamin Kerja Keluarga Malaysia’) with a RM4.8 billion allocation whereby 600,000 new job opportunities will be created was well received, given the high rate of unemployment in Sabah.
According to the Finance Minister, the “job guarantee” initiative is extended to employers who hire women who have been unemployed for more than 365 days, single mothers and housewives. The move, he said, is to encourage women to return to the workforce.
The Tawau MP welcomed the allocation of RM13 million to beef up the police unit which investigates sexual crimes against women and children, saying it shows the government’s concern for violence against women in the country.
“We look forward to Sabah getting a share of the 100 more police officers assigned to handle sexual crimes against women and children.”
She called on relevant non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Sabah to take up the challenge vis-a-vis the Government’s intention to increase local social support centres and to work with NGOs to increase the number of special protection homes for women.
Liew also hailed the allocation of RM11 million as subsidy for mammogram tests for high-risk women, and for conducting cervical cancer screenings for women. “Women in Sabah should also benefit from this facility, going by the Federal Government’s espousal of people’s well-being and inclusivity.”
On the Government’s aim to provide hygiene kits for B40 girls, she hoped Sabah girls from B40 households would not be left out in line with the concept of “Keluarga Malaysia” (Malaysian Family).
It was pointed out that an estimated 130,000 young women from B40 families in Malaysia do not have access to hygiene products such as sanitary towels due to financial constraints.