KUALA LUMPUR: Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah, Queen of Malaysia, today called for Malaysian women’s voices and views to be fully recognised and for them to take an active role in policymaking.
In her royal address at the 64th National Women’s Day celebration, Her Majesty said Malaysia was ranked 103rd out of 146 countries in the 2022 World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index, while Singapore stood at 49th, Thailand at 79th, and Indonesia at 92nd.
“If Malaysian women are to be truly valued in nation building, we need to catch up with our neighbouring countries and we need to prove that our voices and opinions are heard at the highest levels and that women are included in policymaking and in all decisions,” said the Queen today.
Raja Zarith Sofiah said that valuing women in nation-building involved making sure their voices were heard.
Though she acknowledged the current government’s efforts to create a more equitable and sustainable society, the Queen underscored that much still remained to be done.
“We still have many challenges ahead and much has to be done when we discuss women in nation building,” the Queen said.
Her Majesty emphasised that leadership was not determined by gender but by the ability to lead with vision, compassion and resilience.
According to her, women in this country had played a vital role in shaping the nation across all sectors, from the humblest homes to the highest levels of government, corporations and civil society organisations.
However, Raja Zarith Sofiah observed that women still remained under-represented in professional and academic settings, noting from her own experience that most participants at conferences she had attended were men, with very few women invited to take part.
“The COVID-19 pandemic showed existing social disparities to be much worse and exposed deep-seated gaps and inequalities hindering inclusive economic growth
“Women health professionals, educators, volunteers and other workers who stood at the frontlines were not only saving lives but also caring for and holding families and societies together.
“Many succumbed to mental and physical exhaustion, while reports of domestic violence also became increasingly common,” said the Queen.
Raja Zarith Sofiah expressed her appreciation for the ‘everyday heroines’, including women who raised children, cared for the elderly, educated future generations and ensured their families had a comfortable home, stressing that while their names might not appear in history books, they were the true pillars of the nation.
“Let us honour and value our women not only on Women’s Day but every day, through our policies and our actions,” she said.