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[et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”]By Lya Rahman
AS a professional woman, wife and mother, I could not help but join the chorus of criticisms levelled at the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry for belittling women’s intellect via its recent Covid-19 poster campaign series (hashtag #WomenPreventCOVID19).
Probably done with good intention by leveraging humour as an effective stress buster among spouses amid the prolonged Movement Control Order (MCO) period, one of the Household Happiness posters suggested that wives could “imitate Doraemon’s tone” and “respond with a seductive giggle”.
Doubtlessly, seeing eye-to-eye the whole day long can strain a relationship but one wonders how “presenting yourself as per usual, wear make-up and dress neatly” (rather than to put on casual clothing) can be deemed as a practical outfit for women who have to work from home during the MCO.
Whether it is to convey the message in a light-hearted manner or otherwise, the underlying tone in the poster campaign is nothing more than “a woman’s job is to please her man”.
The humiliation stemming from the “sexist tips” has once again made Malaysia famous the world over for the wrong reason!
At a time when so much effort has been poured in to elevate the stature of women globally, it is indeed a heartache to see how the brouhaha – picked up by Channel News Asia and The Guardian and ABC News (Australia) among others – has severely discredited the reputation of all Malaysian women.
Thankfully, the posters have been taken down after drawing flak from all segments of society, men included. In fact, the Director-General of the Ministry’s Women’s Development Department went on to apologise “if several of the shared tips were unsuitable or touched on the sensitivities of certain parties”.
I couldn’t agree more with socio-political commentator Mariam Mokhtar: “The Ministry’s advice for wives and working mothers during the MCO is not just insulting to women, it is also patronising and condescending. It belittles the efforts of women who have fought hard for equality in Malaysia.”
In fact, I would go one step further to express concern over the role of the Ministry in championing the rights and well-being of Malaysian women.
A bleak future beckons for Malaysian women if we have simplistic-minded policymakers who are unable to think outside the box or rather, are out-of-touch with major challenges inflicting the female gender the world over.
A decent analogy for that is our tendency to focus on the beeline of ants but missing out on the presence of an elephant in the room.
Domestic abuse
As we evolve into a progressive society, we would expect our Madame Minister and all her downline to at least comprehend the social stigma and workplace discrimination that women encounter every other day.
The next step is to be forward looking and ever ready to initiate sensible solutions based on universal values and high moral grounds (not something that defies logic and common sense such as the recent poster campaign series).
From a governance standpoint, one would expect the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry to spearhead the implementation of policies and direction towards achieving the goals of gender equality, family development and a caring society in line with Malaysia’s commitment towards the United Nations’ Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
The poster campaign would be more meaningful if it was directed at creating awareness among single mothers on how the MCO confinement could trigger mental torture and the various methods of de-stressing, or even how to react or reach out for help in the event of a family commotion that could lead to domestic violence (likely to stem from job insecurity).
In France, Secretary of State for Gender Equality Marlène Schiappa has revealed a dramatic surge in domestic violence cases of “32% in one week” since the country initiated a lockdown exercise. Addressing the situation remains quite tricky as “the victims are on lockdown with their abusers”, according to Schiappa.
Likewise, domestic violence cases have increased in India since its March 24 lockdown with husbands venting their frustration on wives who have no escape from their abusers, according to experts. In the UK, domestic abuse experts are calling on the government to provide emergency funds as refugees prepare for an influx of referrals amid fears the Covid-19 outbreak will fuel violence in the home.
In all fairness, the shallow mindset as reflected by the poster campaign fiasco has overshadowed the effort to promote women as candidates of no lesser equivalent to men in terms of intellectual capacity to sit on the board of directors of listed entities or as corporate chieftains.
Defending women’s dignity
On a similar note, the Covid-19 pandemic has also laid bare the qualities of our many “newcomer” ministers and their deputies. It has doubtlessly proven to be an acid test of their problem-solving ingenuity in which many have fared miserably thus far.
The dismal performance of the Health Minister whose portfolio is of utmost importance, especially now, suggests that it is crucial to appoint a qualified and capable personnel with professional experience and not just a politician with academic qualification but lacking in terms of experience to helm a particular ministry.
The invaluable lesson learnt here is that simply appointing any Tom, Dick and Harry to fulfil a political agenda will ultimately lead to a gross mismatch between the individual’s true capability and duty execution (of late, there are so many hilarious accounts on how our newly appointed ministers are performing on social media).
From a women’s reform perspective, what is desired of our Madame Minister is perhaps someone who is able to staunchly support the dignity of the female gender as well as capable of cascading the notion that women shouldn’t be treated as subservient to men effectively.
She should be looked up upon as the defender of Malaysian women regardless of their ethnic group, creed or age, lest being incapable to live up to such expectation would mean she has made a mockery of the system.
Setting priorities right
Against the backdrop of the raging Covid-19 pandemic, my ultimate hope is that the government machinery is well-oiled to rejuvenate our economy which has been badly bruised amid shutdown of business activities within the soonest possible time frame.
The very fact that we have entered a global recession (as declared by the International Monetary Fund recently) would mean financial hardship and unemployment looming given many micro, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are already struggling to survive.
I see a dire need for the government to step up its economic management system for the recently unveiled RM250 bil Prihatin Rakyat Economic Stimulus Package (truth be told only 10% of the amount is via a direct fiscal injection from the government) has been far off the mark to give ailing businesses a lifeline.
The government needs to allay concerns about the transparency of sources of funds and public delivery methods, as well as its eventual accessibility to the neediest citizens. There should not be any leakages.
But instead of seeking to refine key weaknesses of the stimulus package, I am taken aback by news that “the powers that be” are equally busy to replace head honchos of government agencies and government-linked companies (GLCs) who were appointed by the previous Pakatan Harapan (PH) government.
Are these changes necessary because the heads failed to deliver or this is simply to pave the way for a crony to be appointed?
I see this as a distasteful thing to do considering priority should be accorded towards finding the right cure for our battered economy amid the Covid-19 outrage instead of pursuing the change of guards agenda.
Two latest “casualties” are Bank Rakyat hairman Datuk Noripah Kamso and her Human Resource Development Fund (HRDF) counterpart, Datuk Noor Farida Mohd Ariffin.
The departure of Noripah and Farida will very likely stall the previous government’s pledge and recommendations on the reform of government institutions and the public sector.
Must capable individuals be replaced on grounds that they are political appointees? If such is the case, it is mind-boggling to know that most of their successors are chosen not based on their abilities but rather relationships.
Understandably, for governance reforms to be successfully implemented, it is vital for the government to appoint capable professionals to head government agencies, GLCs or even government-linked investment companies.
My personal reckoning is that business should never be mixed with politics – the best people should be allowed to do their jobs even when there is a change of government or prime minister.
In all frankness, I view the dismissal of Noripah and Farida along with Mara chairman Hasnita Hashim (who was earlier removed on grounds that she was a “PH political appointee”) with absolute sadness given that the trio are women of substance to begin with.
Whether it is a sheer coincidence that the three mentioned names are women, I dread to think that their departure will open the floodgate for more similar removals in the coming days – with or without the Covid-19 pandemic. — April 7, 2020
The views expressed in the article represent the views of the writer and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Institutional Investors Council of Malaysia (IICM).
Lya Rahman is the adviser to the IICM and was the former general manager of the Minority Shareholders Watch Group. She can be reached at [email protected][/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column]
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Treat women as assets, not sex objects
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[et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”]By Lya Rahman
AS a professional woman, wife and mother, I could not help but join the chorus of criticisms levelled at the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry for belittling women’s intellect via its recent Covid-19 poster campaign series (hashtag #WomenPreventCOVID19).
Probably done with good intention by leveraging humour as an effective stress buster among spouses amid the prolonged Movement Control Order (MCO) period, one of the Household Happiness posters suggested that wives could “imitate Doraemon’s tone” and “respond with a seductive giggle”.
Doubtlessly, seeing eye-to-eye the whole day long can strain a relationship but one wonders how “presenting yourself as per usual, wear make-up and dress neatly” (rather than to put on casual clothing) can be deemed as a practical outfit for women who have to work from home during the MCO.
Whether it is to convey the message in a light-hearted manner or otherwise, the underlying tone in the poster campaign is nothing more than “a woman’s job is to please her man”.
The humiliation stemming from the “sexist tips” has once again made Malaysia famous the world over for the wrong reason!
At a time when so much effort has been poured in to elevate the stature of women globally, it is indeed a heartache to see how the brouhaha – picked up by Channel News Asia and The Guardian and ABC News (Australia) among others – has severely discredited the reputation of all Malaysian women.
Thankfully, the posters have been taken down after drawing flak from all segments of society, men included. In fact, the Director-General of the Ministry’s Women’s Development Department went on to apologise “if several of the shared tips were unsuitable or touched on the sensitivities of certain parties”.
I couldn’t agree more with socio-political commentator Mariam Mokhtar: “The Ministry’s advice for wives and working mothers during the MCO is not just insulting to women, it is also patronising and condescending. It belittles the efforts of women who have fought hard for equality in Malaysia.”
In fact, I would go one step further to express concern over the role of the Ministry in championing the rights and well-being of Malaysian women.
A bleak future beckons for Malaysian women if we have simplistic-minded policymakers who are unable to think outside the box or rather, are out-of-touch with major challenges inflicting the female gender the world over.
A decent analogy for that is our tendency to focus on the beeline of ants but missing out on the presence of an elephant in the room.
Domestic abuse
As we evolve into a progressive society, we would expect our Madame Minister and all her downline to at least comprehend the social stigma and workplace discrimination that women encounter every other day.
The next step is to be forward looking and ever ready to initiate sensible solutions based on universal values and high moral grounds (not something that defies logic and common sense such as the recent poster campaign series).
From a governance standpoint, one would expect the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry to spearhead the implementation of policies and direction towards achieving the goals of gender equality, family development and a caring society in line with Malaysia’s commitment towards the United Nations’ Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
The poster campaign would be more meaningful if it was directed at creating awareness among single mothers on how the MCO confinement could trigger mental torture and the various methods of de-stressing, or even how to react or reach out for help in the event of a family commotion that could lead to domestic violence (likely to stem from job insecurity).
In France, Secretary of State for Gender Equality Marlène Schiappa has revealed a dramatic surge in domestic violence cases of “32% in one week” since the country initiated a lockdown exercise. Addressing the situation remains quite tricky as “the victims are on lockdown with their abusers”, according to Schiappa.
Likewise, domestic violence cases have increased in India since its March 24 lockdown with husbands venting their frustration on wives who have no escape from their abusers, according to experts. In the UK, domestic abuse experts are calling on the government to provide emergency funds as refugees prepare for an influx of referrals amid fears the Covid-19 outbreak will fuel violence in the home.
In all fairness, the shallow mindset as reflected by the poster campaign fiasco has overshadowed the effort to promote women as candidates of no lesser equivalent to men in terms of intellectual capacity to sit on the board of directors of listed entities or as corporate chieftains.
Defending women’s dignity
On a similar note, the Covid-19 pandemic has also laid bare the qualities of our many “newcomer” ministers and their deputies. It has doubtlessly proven to be an acid test of their problem-solving ingenuity in which many have fared miserably thus far.
The dismal performance of the Health Minister whose portfolio is of utmost importance, especially now, suggests that it is crucial to appoint a qualified and capable personnel with professional experience and not just a politician with academic qualification but lacking in terms of experience to helm a particular ministry.
The invaluable lesson learnt here is that simply appointing any Tom, Dick and Harry to fulfil a political agenda will ultimately lead to a gross mismatch between the individual’s true capability and duty execution (of late, there are so many hilarious accounts on how our newly appointed ministers are performing on social media).
From a women’s reform perspective, what is desired of our Madame Minister is perhaps someone who is able to staunchly support the dignity of the female gender as well as capable of cascading the notion that women shouldn’t be treated as subservient to men effectively.
She should be looked up upon as the defender of Malaysian women regardless of their ethnic group, creed or age, lest being incapable to live up to such expectation would mean she has made a mockery of the system.
Setting priorities right
Against the backdrop of the raging Covid-19 pandemic, my ultimate hope is that the government machinery is well-oiled to rejuvenate our economy which has been badly bruised amid shutdown of business activities within the soonest possible time frame.
The very fact that we have entered a global recession (as declared by the International Monetary Fund recently) would mean financial hardship and unemployment looming given many micro, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are already struggling to survive.
I see a dire need for the government to step up its economic management system for the recently unveiled RM250 bil Prihatin Rakyat Economic Stimulus Package (truth be told only 10% of the amount is via a direct fiscal injection from the government) has been far off the mark to give ailing businesses a lifeline.
The government needs to allay concerns about the transparency of sources of funds and public delivery methods, as well as its eventual accessibility to the neediest citizens. There should not be any leakages.
But instead of seeking to refine key weaknesses of the stimulus package, I am taken aback by news that “the powers that be” are equally busy to replace head honchos of government agencies and government-linked companies (GLCs) who were appointed by the previous Pakatan Harapan (PH) government.
Are these changes necessary because the heads failed to deliver or this is simply to pave the way for a crony to be appointed?
I see this as a distasteful thing to do considering priority should be accorded towards finding the right cure for our battered economy amid the Covid-19 outrage instead of pursuing the change of guards agenda.
Two latest “casualties” are Bank Rakyat hairman Datuk Noripah Kamso and her Human Resource Development Fund (HRDF) counterpart, Datuk Noor Farida Mohd Ariffin.
The departure of Noripah and Farida will very likely stall the previous government’s pledge and recommendations on the reform of government institutions and the public sector.
Must capable individuals be replaced on grounds that they are political appointees? If such is the case, it is mind-boggling to know that most of their successors are chosen not based on their abilities but rather relationships.
Understandably, for governance reforms to be successfully implemented, it is vital for the government to appoint capable professionals to head government agencies, GLCs or even government-linked investment companies.
My personal reckoning is that business should never be mixed with politics – the best people should be allowed to do their jobs even when there is a change of government or prime minister.
In all frankness, I view the dismissal of Noripah and Farida along with Mara chairman Hasnita Hashim (who was earlier removed on grounds that she was a “PH political appointee”) with absolute sadness given that the trio are women of substance to begin with.
Whether it is a sheer coincidence that the three mentioned names are women, I dread to think that their departure will open the floodgate for more similar removals in the coming days – with or without the Covid-19 pandemic. — April 7, 2020
The views expressed in the article represent the views of the writer and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Institutional Investors Council of Malaysia (IICM).
Lya Rahman is the adviser to the IICM and was the former general manager of the Minority Shareholders Watch Group. She can be reached at [email protected][/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column]
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