Suzanna Piny (right) received the Certificate of Appreciation presented by YB Flovia
KOTA BELUD: The people, especially women in the State of Sabah are very fortunate because the government recognizes the important role of women in all kinds of activities, said the Minister of Community Development and People’s Well-being (KPMKR), Datuk James Bin Ratib.
“Equal opportunities are the key to women’s progress in any field. Therefore, women need to take the opportunities provided by the government,” he said.
He said this while inaugurating the Santuni Wanita Outreach Program for N8 Pintasan, N9 Tempasuk, N10 Usukan and N11 Kadamaian at the Tun Said Keruak Community Hall on Tuesday.
The text of his speech was read by Datuk Flovia Ng, KPMKR Assistant Minister, who represented the Minister.
The program with the theme “Merakyatkan Perkhidmatan Ke Arah Kesejahteraan Wanita” was organized by the Sabah Department of Women’s Affairs (JHEWA).
James expressed his gratitude to the organizers consisting of JHEWA, Kota Belud District Office, Unit Pemimpin Pembangunan Masyarakat (UPPM) N8 Pintasan, N9 Tempasuk, N10 Usukan and N11 Kadamaian.
“Congratulations and well done to the organizers and secretariat for successfully gathering nearly 400 participants for the program consisting of civil servants, grassroots leaders, JPKK, women, local communities, youth, and teenagers.
“This program is a continuation of the flagship or new initiative of a high-impact project in the human capital sector and people’s well-being in line with KPMKR’s direction for the year 2021 to 2025 under the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) plan.
“The main purpose of this program is to give the public an opportunity to get a variety of services that are specially provided by government departments such as the Sabah Women’s Affairs Department and the agencies involved in the organized DUN area,” he said.
According to him, since November 2021, the program that has been carried out in collaboration with strategic partners has become a very effective service delivery and knowledge sharing platform in the efforts of JHEWA Sabah in particular, to empower women and society in general to continue to be relevant and meet current needs.
He added that as a manifestation of the State Government’s commitment to the sustainability of women and society in the State of Sabah, today the Outreach Santuni Wanita program has made history for the first time it was held in the Kota Belud district.
“The involvement of the four DUN constituencies here should be commended, especially the UPPM, grassroots leaders and all the community mobilization machinery in the constituencies involved for successfully bringing together such a beneficial program to the community in your constituencies.
“For the record, this program is very significant and throughout the duration of this program, JHEWA Sabah has already welcomed almost 2,653 people in 38 State Assembly areas.
“I feel honored by the initiative of JHEWA who have worked hard to ensure the continuity of this kind of community program both in terms of entrepreneurship, women’s development and legislation,” he said.
Meanwhile, James, who is also the Sugut Assemblyman, said this program is one of the government’s efforts to curb this problem from continuing to engulf the community while providing scientific enlightenment or legal advisory services through legal clinics and legal literacy slots.
“For example, the service of the Sabah Women’s Legal Aid Center (PBGW) which is supervised by JHEWA Sabah is a center that provides legal assistance for free in Sharia, Civil and Native Courts, especially those involving family cases.
“Furthermore, this program also presents critical issues that need attention, including the issue of drug abuse and marriage at an early age, which is increasingly worrying,” he said.
He added that the community needs to be emphasized on the issue of education, especially concerning the law, because through education alone it is possible to empower the community, especially women.
“Based on this matter, I also hope that all parties, especially JHEWA as well as all state government agencies, will continue to mobilize energy and continue to actively implement community programs such as our program today,” he explained.