LEADING the mark for women’s empowerment for the past 10 years is an achievement that deserves to be mentioned.
The Penang Women Development Corporation, one of the entities formed here in Penang under the jurisdiction of the state government, is prepared to further drive its mission to empower more women in the state.
State Social Development and Non-Islamic Religious Affairs Committee chairman Chong Eng said PWDC will continue to develop and encourage more women to be involved in both, the economy and politics here in Malaysia, specifically in Penang.
“Despite providing multiple channels for the women here in Penang through the organising of programmes to allow them to shine, there is always room for improvement.
“PWDC, over the past decade, has done exceptionally well, initiating programmes to allow women from all categories, particularly those with least exposure and from the B40 families, to come forward and show their capabilities.
“All they need is a platform and some push of confidence. That’s what PWDC has been doing since its inception 10 years ago.
“For example, the ‘Penang Women Entrepreneur Mentoring Programme 2.0’ and ‘Wanita Jana Rezeki 2.0’ (WJR 2.0) are some of the programmes organised by PWDC to encourage women to shine in their respective areas of interest.
“We will continue to provide all the women in our state with relevant opportunities to rise and be someone,” Chong Eng said during an interview session with Buletin Mutiara recently.
Meanwhile, PWDC chief executive officer Ong Bee Leng was also delighted to have witnessed the entity’s transformation since its inception a decade ago.
“It has been a wonderful journey for all of us here as we have expanded from being an entity in developing women in politics and the economy after 10 years.
“It is not easy as we have undergone all the hard work before reaching such a level. Most importantly, we play a pivotal role in realising the women’s agenda.
“All our initiatives included the Gender Responsive and Participatory Budgeting (GRPB) initiative to ensure that everyone is equal.
“The formation of the Village Community Management Council (MPKK) is also lauded as the representation has now reached 30%,” she said.
Ong recalled it was not smooth sailing for PWDC when it was established.
“Our perseverance and grit have enabled us to carry our mission and aim to establish a platform for women in our society,” she added.
In the future, Ong hoped that more women can step forward to let their voices heard.
“Nowadays, many women are the pillar of strength of an organisation and they have done remarkably well in their career path.
“We also hope more women will get themselves involved in politics and economy to realise our PWDC’s agenda,” she said.
Story and pix by Kevin Vimal and Edmund Lee