GEORGE TOWN – Those who suffer the most when politicians squabble and fail to govern effectively are working class women and youth – more so after the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the economy – an academician told a PKR gathering of women leaders.
Prof Fatimah Kari from Universiti Malaya’s Business and Economics Faculty said data collected in recent years has shown that women and youth trail behind men in terms of real income disposal levels, which inhibits their progress.
Fatimah said that the matter has now worsened because the economic models used to measure hardcore poverty are outdated.
“We need to rein in all the data, especially post-pandemic, to gauge its actual impact on women and the young,” Fatimah said when presenting a paper at the Wanita PKR conference here.
Earlier, PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar told a press conference that the findings from this conference would be among Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) campaign issues in the coming 15th general election.
Nurul Izzah said the party has received feedback that women and the young stand to become the “lost generation” due to the pandemic’s impact on their socioeconomic status, which has also slowed down their career growth.
“Access to education is now even harder due to the need to invest in the right equipment for online learning and the need for strong connectivity,” the Permatang Pauh MP said.
Therefore, Nurul Izzah said that the plight of women must be the struggle of all political parties.
Nurul Izzah also noted that there were rising cases of incest as parents struggle with rising living costs and social ills.
On the question of Barisan Nasional’s proposal to establish an institution of higher learning solely for women, Nurul Izzah said that the concept is laudable but what the country needs first is a holistic approach to resolve the plight of abused women and youth.
Later, Nurul Izzah’s father and PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim closed the conference. – The Vibes, September 25, 2022
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