On the Fifth Strategy: upholding the role of women

It has been a great week for girls and women. The Nobel committee announced that Malala Yousafzai is to share the Nobel Peace Prize this year with Kailash Satyathri for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people, and for the right of all children to education.

In a press statement, the Nobel committee said, "Despite her youth, Malala Yousafzai has already fought for several years for the right of girls to education, and has shown by example that children and young people, too, can contribute to improving their own situations, this she has done under the most dangerous circumstances. Through her heroic struggle she has become a leading spokesperson for girls’ rights to education." Malala is the youngest person and the first Pakistani girl to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

I could not be happier. Granted, I am privileged and grateful that I have been given the opportunity to go to school, to learn and to be able to be all that I can. Like Malala, my parents did not clip my wings – and I am happy that more girls everywhere around the globe are now able to receive education and make their own choices about their bodies, their thoughts and their lives. Generally, Malaysian girls and women do have it better than most out there in the big, evil world – and for that, I am grateful.

Following the news of the 2015 budget speech on Twitter last Friday further increased my happiness. The prime minister announced a particular strategy focusing on women, in the view of upholding the role we play for the nation. I waited until I could get my hands on the full speech to read the full agenda. According to the report, the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development is allocated RM2.26 billion for development and operating expenditure to implement programmes such as increasing participation of women in decision-making positions, improving opportunities for women who have left their careers to return to the job market based on professional qualifications, training to increase entrepreneurial skills among single mothers and establishment of childcare centres at work places.

While this is indeed a good move in the right direction, as I read, I think my balloon of happiness deflated a little bit. I am sceptical of the successful implementation of such programmes and somehow a little irked that women are considered important only if we choose to have children. I understand that the government needs to manage the country as a whole and any policies to be implemented must benefit the majority – but what about women who choose to stay single and have no plans to reproduce?

On the other hand, yes, the Ministry of Education still holds the biggest piece of the budget pie – and education is given to all Malaysians regardless of gender, thus we do have a pool of educated, skilled personnels from all genders. Yet, women only make up 38% of the workforce in Malaysia according to the same budget report. Shouldn’t such programmes first focus on allowing women to make our own choices and not having women relegated to our stereotypical roles of being wife and mother?

I like to view the world with optimism, thus I sincerely believe that we need to keep a close eye on the implementation from the proposed budget for next year as a whole. I hope to see increased transparency by our government and I applaud the government for having a focus for women in the 2015 budget.

I am also looking forward to that National Sports Day on the first Saturday in November next year! – October 14, 2014.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.