KUALA LUMPUR, May 17- The appointment of seven women parliamentarians to Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s new cabinet shows the prime minister’s seriousness in involving women to make the national transformation agenda a success, according to these women leaders.
The new Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Rohani Abdul Karim, who is also the member of parliament (MP) for Batang Lupar in Sarawak, regards the appointments as a recognition and appreciation for women’s leadership.
“On behalf of Malaysian women, I thank the prime minister for appointing two women as ministers and another five as deputy ministers to his new cabinet,” she said after the taking of the oath of office and oath of secrecy by the newly appointed ministers and deputy ministers at Istana Negara, here, today.
Nancy Shukri, the MP for Batang Sadong in Sarawak, is also part of the new cabinet as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department.
The five women deputy ministers are Datuk Azizah Mohd Dun (Women, Family and Community Development Ministry), Datuk Halimah Mohd Sadique (Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government), Datuk Noriah Kasnon (Plantation Industries and Commodities), Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin (Works) and Datuk Mary Yap (Education and Higher Learning).
Azizah, the MP for Beaufort in Sabah, said the government’s recogition for women in the cabinet this time would increase women’s participation in various fields and not only focused on the decision-making level.
“We want to get more women to be involved in entrepreneurship. Many women are now already involved in business but we need to continue giving them support and aid wherever necessary for them to do bettter,” she said.
Halimah, the Tenggara MP from Johor, said the combination of old and new faces in the cabinet this time showed good balance which could propel the government’s agenda to greater success.
She was confident that the women leaders appointed to the cabinet would be able to help ensure continuity of the government’s plans and programmes for the benefit of the people.
Rosnah, who is formerly deputy health minister, said the composition of women politicians in the new cabinet would mean better collaboration in boosting the national transformation efforts.
On her portfolio, she said she looked forward to working together with the new minister, Datuk Fadillah Yusof, and they would give their best to infrastructure development in Sabah and Sarawak without neglecting the needs of the people in the peninsula.
Noriah, the MP for Sungai Besar in Selangor, said the prime minister had made a wise and fair decision by giving more ministerial positions to those states that were instrumental to Barisan Nasional’s victory in the recent 13th general election.
“It’s a reward and recognition for their big contribution.
“Nevertheless, the prime minister still included in the new cabinet, a few MPs from states that did not do well in the GE13.
“So, we should not feel comfortable and should instead take what happened (in the elections) as a lesson, so that we will do better in future,” said Noriah.
– BERNAMA
