By Nur Ashikin Louis
KUCHING, March 8: Premier of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg has assured that there will be no law allowed to suppress the achievements of women.
He said the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) State government has always adhered to the principle of women’s empowerment because women are one of the most important pillars of development, covering all aspects of State and national development.
“It is proven that the GPS government is serious in uplifting the dignity of women when it includes a commitment to ‘Empowering Women’s Involvement in Sarawak Development’ in the GPS manifesto at the last State Election,” he said.
He said this in his speech delivered by State Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Minister Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah during the opening ceremony of the Sarawak Women’s Day 2022 celebration held at Pullman Hotel in Miri today.
Abang Johari further said that the State government through Fatimah’s ministry has trained nearly 18,000 single mothers and low-income women in various skills at the Wisma Wanita Training Center (WWTC) since 2015 and produced over 200 women with leadership skill through Sarawak Women in Leadership and Decision Making since 2019.
The State government has also approved the Women Entrepreneur Grant of RM3.5 million which has benefited 1,300 women entrepreneurs to kickstart or increase their businesses since 2018.
Among others were training women as community leaders and local authorities, increasing number of women in public sector’s leadership and giving recognition to successful Sarawakian women every year in conjunction with International Women’s Day and Sarawak-level Women’s Day.
“However, these efforts are not enough, especially on women leadership in the public and corporate sectors, and efforts will continue so that one day women can sit as low and stand as high as men as promised in the GPS manifesto, Insya-Allah,” he added.
Amongst those present were the wife of former Yang di-Pertua Negeri, Toh Puan Hayati Ahmat; Transport Minister Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin; Deputy Minister for Women and Childhood Development, Datuk Rosey Yunus; Deputy Minister for Community Wellbeing Development Mohamad Razi Sitam; the wife of former Sarawak Chief Minister and former Tanjung Datu assemblywoman Datuk Amar Jamilah Anu; and Deputy Minister for Law, MA63 and State-Federal Relations Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali. — DayakDaily
