KUALA LUMPUR – The government has been urged to make concessions to opposition lawmakers, to allow them to bring the idea of “gender budgeting” to Parliament for first reading, said Wong Shu Qi.
The Kluang MP from DAP said the notion, as a policy, is still in its infancy in Malaysia, but the Perikatan Nasional government should nonetheless grant the opposition some power by forming a parliamentary select committee (PSC) to discuss it.
She noted that it is no easy task seeing gender “sensitisation” in legal reforms.
“We tried it in Penang, but at the federal level, most of the budgeting is still prepared by the government and civil servants. It is difficult for us to amend, unless there is a process (initiated by government lawmakers).
“They should concede certain powers to the opposition by forming a PSC for us to discuss the budget, in order for us to bring in the idea of gender sensitisation so that we can contribute a lot more for the good of the people,” she said yesterday at a virtual report launch and round-table discussion on Women’s Freedom of Expression in Countering Sexual and Gender-based Violence (SGBV).
The report revealed how women, including trans women, are subjected to SGBV.
Present at the online event were Kapayan rep Jannie Lasimbang, Michelle Ng (Subang Jaya) and Syerleena Abdul Rashid (Seri Delima).
Gender budgeting is not a brand new notion in Malaysia, having been introduced at the ministerial level in 2006. It is a tool meant to bring substantive changes and close inequality gaps.
The Women, Family and Community Development Ministry has collaborated with the United Nations Development Programme in a pilot project to implement the policy in five ministries, namely the Education, Higher Education, Human Resources, Health, and Rural Development Ministries.
In January 2012, Penang implemented the policy in a three-year pilot project under the Penang Women’s Development Corp, and Penang Island and Seberang Prai councils.
Sex harassment bill must be tabled when Parliament meets
Wong also stressed that the tabling and passage of the sexual harassment bill should be given priority when Parliament reconvenes.
“But with the coming parliamentary sitting, it looks like it will just be a briefing session.
“It is very unfortunate that we may need to wait until September to see whether the (Women, Family and Community Development Ministry) will move the bill, and we will be able to debate it then. The September sitting may be the official first sitting of the year.
“Of course, we will push forward, and we should keep pressuring the government to table the bill as soon as possible.”
Following numerous calls for the august House to reconvene, the Prime Minister’s Office on July 5 said the government has agreed that the Dewan Rakyat will sit from July 26 to 29, and on August 2, while the Dewan Negara will meet from August 3 to 5.
MPs from both sides of the divide have expressed unease at the prospect of seeing just a “briefing session” after a six-month suspension of Parliament due to the emergency declared over Covid-19.
Lawmakers have voiced their concerns that there will be no space given for debates and questions, and the sitting will merely see briefings on the National Recovery Plan and amendments to the relevant laws and regulations to allow Parliament to meet in a hybrid manner. – The Vibes, July 18, 2021
