KUALA LUMPUR, March 7 — Former Umno minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said today proposed the government separate the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry into two separate segments for better focus.
The Pengerang MP said the ministry’s current scope of responsibilities were too wide and proposed it be streamlined into two segments: women’s issues and children’s issues.
She noted that Malaysia has about 15 million women now, and nine million children, and the government needs to take this into consideration.
“For more than 20 years now, we are ranked 73 in the gender gap index. Maybe it’s time for the government to split the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry into two segments.
“There are so many children and women’s issues, especially when children and women make up a large percentage of the population in the country,” she said in the Dewan Rakyat while debating the royal address.
Azalina also suggested that welfare and family issues be parked separately under the existing National Unity Ministry, which is currently helmed by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Halimah Mohamed Sadique.
She said Halimah has enough past experience from when she was a state executive councillor to deal with her suggested proposal.
“She has experience handling unity issues as family issues are welfare issues, and welfare issues are unity issues,” Azalina said.
