KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia women are saying that more efforts are needed in order to empower them in certain sectors, especially the financial sector, and have called on the government to look into implementing a form of affirmative action in order to guarantee access to jobs and empowerment. They say that these policies are important, but have not yet gone as far as saying Parliament should pass a mandatory affirmative action policy, saying that legislation could allow companies to voluntarily join a similar program to boost women in the workforce. During a roundtable on women in financial services in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, the majority of the participants said intervention is still needed to increase their numbers in the financial sector. “I am against the quota statement but I believe that the government must put the ecosystem and enablers in place to enable women to move up the value chain," AmBank Group managing director (MD) of corporate and institutional banking Pushpa Rajadurai said. She said companies should provide flexibility for women to work and have time to attend to other facets of their life, so that they can contribute fully at the workplace. Hong Leong Islamic Bank Bhd managing director Raja Teh Maimunah Raja Abdul Aziz said a quota system could also cause resentment in the work place. “I am uncomfortable with the quota system as I feel it would cause a complete backlash for women as organizations may place the system begrudgingly and at the end of the day the organizations may end up with mediocrity just to fill the quota," she said. It comes only days after Prime Minister Najib Razak promised to boost women in society as well as their protection and security on the streets of the country. The 1 Malaysia Perwani Community program, which aims to set up 100,000 Perwani groups throughout Malaysia comprising 10 to 20 women each, will be linked to organizations like the Police Families Association (Perkep), the Malaysian Armed Forces Family Welfare Association (Bakat) and the Wives of Civil Servants and Women Civil Servants Association (Puspanita). “The role of the Perwani group is to be the eyes and ears of the government in fighting crime and threats to national security," said Najib in a speech at the One Million Women Purple Walk event at Dataran Putrajaya earlier this week. “This can be achieved through current organizations like residents' associations, Puspanita, Perkep, Bakat, Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM), the Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs), and other NGOs like women's and single mothers' groups," he added. Najib also stressed to the crowd of thousands of women dressed in purple that the government wanted to empower women and include them in the mainstream of the country's development process. “In our struggle to realize our country's vision, women play an important role," he said at the event celebrating International Women's Day 2013. BN
