Hajiji: More women involved in decision-making positions in Sabah

 By Olivia Miwil - August 27, 2023 @ 11:10am

Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor and the recipients of the Sabah State Women Awards during the state-level Women's Day Celebration 2023. -PIC COURTESY OF SABAH CHIEF MINISTER’S DEPARTMENT

KOTA KINABALU: There has been a progressive increase in women's involvement in decision-making in Sabah, said state Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.

As of August 2023, statistics and data indicated that women in decision-making roles in the Sabah State Government for Deputy State Secretaries stood at 33.3per cent, equating to one woman out of three Deputy State Secretaries.

"For permanent secretary positions, 9.09 per cent are held by women out of a total of 11 permanent secretaries in the ministries.

"The percentage of deputy permanent secretaries is 40 percent, which amounts to eight women out of 20. As for department heads, 30.23 per cent are women out of a total of 43.

"I want to emphasise that the state government always adheres to the principle of empowering women. Women are a crucial pillar of the country's development, not only in social, political, and economic aspects but across all dimensions of national progress," he said in a statement following the inauguration of the state-level Women's Day Celebration 2023 at a hotel here last night.

Hajiji said the government had made efforts in enhancing protection and welfare for workers, particularly women, including amendments to the Employment Act of 1955 to extend maternity leave from 60 to 98 days and paternity leave from three to seven days.

Apart from that, he said the government had unwavering support for efforts by various parties, including non-governmental organisations (NGOs), to empower women in the state.

Hajiji added that it was aligned with the state government's direction to foster a caring society and enhance excellent services.

"Women today, regardless of their backgrounds, possess expertise in various fields and play a significant role in the nation's progress, family institution development, and promoting compassion within society.

"I acknowledge the commitment, patience, and resilience of women as wives, mothers, daughters, and Malaysian citizens with great spirit, inspiring everyone."

He also announced the government had allocated a total of RM4.2 million to the Sabah Department of Women Affairs (JHEWA) and RM700,000.00 to the Sabah Women's Advisory Council (MPWS) for the implementation of various women's development projects and programmes.

A special allocation has also been provided for short-term projects such as the Creating Millionaire Among Young Women (CreaM@YWE) Project with an amount of RM554,540.00 and RM3.4 million for the Sabah Women Leadership Academy project.