GEORGE TOWN – From now on, all of Penang’s future development projects will include the participation of the people to ensure they have long-term sustainability and meet the needs of the community.
Penang Women’s Development Corporation (PWDC) chief executive officer Ong Bee Leng said the endeavour is called the Gender Responsive and Participatory Budgeting, or GRPB, and is part of the Penang 2030 vision.
Gender budgeting involves more than just men and women in its implementation, as it also takes into consideration children, the elderly and disabled.
“It is one of the strategic initiatives to empower the people to participate, and if we don’t engage the people and involve them earlier on, and consider them only after the project is done, it will be too late,” said Ong.
She said the state government will be rolling out the guidelines for consultations to take place between all stakeholders for all projects initiated by the state government to ensure democracy is upheld.
State executive councillor for social development Chong Eng said Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow has instructed to use GRPB for all state projects, especially major ones, along with new policies that the state wants to put in place.
“That means whatever we want to do, we will take feedback from the people.
“We are trying to cater to the different needs of different groups and increase the participation of the people in the community.”
Chow is not the only one looking to actively involve the public in the state’s projects and policies.
Recently, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin expressed her interest to apply sustainable budgeting to local governments across the country during a dialogue with the mayor on the matter.
According to PWDC’s Gender Inclusiveness Department head Haziqah Nasirah Zol Bahari, the Penang Model is a unique model for gender budgeting. – The Vibes, April 2, 2021
