KOTA KINABALU – A lawmaker in Sabah has raised concerns about the “unimaginable difficulties” faced by the large number of women across the state who are heads of poor households.
Beaufort MP Datuk Seri Azizah Mohd Dun pointed out that women in some of the poorest districts in Sabah are being forced to marry young only to be abandoned by their husbands.
She said some of them were still in school and some had not even entered secondary school when they were married off by their parents, who had hoped marriage would get the girls out of poverty.
“But sadly, their husbands left them, and they are left to fend for their children alone,” said the former federal women, family and community development deputy minister.
“They are not just trapped in poverty, but also have to raise their child. This makes it very, very hard for them to get out of their situation,” she said after chairing a Srikandi Bersatu committee meeting here on Saturday.
Azizah noted that eight of the poorest districts in Malaysia are in Sabah. They are Kota Belud, Kota Marudu, Telupid, Nabawan, Tongod, Pitas, Kudat and Beluran.
She said members of Sabah Srikandi Bersatu have been deployed to find and help the affected women.
However, poverty is not the only issue faced by the women in Sabah. They also face tough challenges in politics and public participation, as well as in the private sector, she added.
She said that she also took offence to women being described by the political leaders as mere “pelengkap” or playing only complementary roles in politics.
“What’s the use if we constantly talk about 30% women participation in sectors and still fail to achieve this target?” she said.
She suggested that it would be a good sign of progress if Srikandi Bersatu gets four seats to contest in the state.
“I would like to say in any political alliance or coalition, the role of women should not be looked down on. Their role must be taken seriously by the leaders.
“Half of the voters in Malaysia are women…Half of the workforce are also women. The ones who reach out to voters in a party machinery are also women.
“Therefore, any leader must remember that we are your partners. The role of the women’s wing is not to complement the party, but to be your partners. The women are part of the organisation,” she said.
In February Azizah had announced Sabah Srikandi Bersatu wanted to contest in four federal seats in the forthcoming general election.
But she said she would leave it to the alliance between Gabungan Rakyat Sabah and Barisan Nasional to decide how many seats the women will be given to contest in the polls. – The Vibes, May 16, 2022
