Follow Penang’s 30% quota for women in key posts, opposition rep tells Sabah

 

Jannie Lasimbang urges Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Mohd Noor not to sideline women when it comes to naming community leaders in the state.

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government must emulate Penang in ensuring greater participation by women in the workplace, a state opposition rep said today.

DAP’s Kapayan assemblyman Jannie Lasimbang said Penang recently passed a proposal requiring a minimum quota of 30% women in local councils and on the board of government-linked companies (GLCs).

She said this proposal is in line with the Gender Inclusion Policy adopted by the Penang government since March 2019, which was aimed at creating gender balance at every level of an organisation, especially at the decision-making level.

”This is a very important development that Sabah should emulate,” she said, in a statement here today.

“Quotas, while still taking into account the qualifications and suitability, have been recommended as a way to bridge the gap between women and men in various sectors.”

Lasimbang said Sabah has yet to achieve the national and international target of having 30% women in the government and private sectors, adding every effort must be made to do so as soon as possible.

She urged Chief Minister Hajiji Mohd Noor to ensure that when it came to naming the various community leaders, women are not sidelined.

“The government must name women to at least 30% of the key positions. Don’t give the excuse that previous governments had not done it, so there is no need to do so.

“Successive governments should strive to be better. The Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) government having been in government through the Barisan Nasional for five decades should have enough experience to implement better policies,” she said. - FMT