“Movement for gender equity is not over”

WANITA MCA has called on all citizens to reflect on the journey Malaysian women had taken to progress the mission of gender equity in conjunction with International Women’s Day (IWD) today. 

Significant progress was made possible by visible initiatives to raise public awareness and prioritise discussions that foster a culture of mutual understanding 

“Despite the arduous roads, Wanita MCA vows to push forward with determination and remain true to our original goal to uplift and empower women through  equitable access and opportunities in all sectors,” said Wanita MCA national chairperson Wong You Fong.

Wong You Fong

Moreover, IWD was introduced to recognise the hardships faced by women worldwide as well as their contributions to a variety of sectors. 

According to Wong, it is crucial that we commemorate this day each year to remind ourselves that differences should be valued and cherished as a source of strength rather than a cause for division.

Wanita MCA is also closely monitoring the government to make sure it honours its promises to advance women’s rights. This entails amending the Federal Constitution to permit Malaysian mothers who are married to non-Malaysians to grant citizenship to their offspring who were born abroad.

In the lead-up to the 15th General Election (GE15), both Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) shared a pledge to redress a long-standing injustice, the automatic conferral of citizenship by Malaysian mothers to their offspring born abroad.

Following the formation of the unity government, the Cabinet resolved to amend the Federal Constitution, specifically Section 1(1)(d) and Section 1(1)(e) in Part I of the Second Schedule and Section 1(b) and Section 1(c) in Part II of the same Schedule, thereby allowing children born abroad to Malaysian mothers be automatically granted Malaysian citizenship.

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1979, clearly defines discrimination against women. 

“Our country needs to revise possible discriminatory provisions in our legislations to ensure that women in our country can work and contribute to the country and society on an equitable basis with men.” – March 8, 2023

 

Main photo credit: mca.org.my

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