Equal Opportunities For Women To Achieve Developed Status, Says M'sian Pm's Wife Rosmah

PETALING JAYA (Selangor, Malaysia), March 17 (Bernama) -- Malaysian women should be motivated to participate in nation building in order to achieve developed status by the year 2020, said Prime Minister's wife Rosmah Mansor. She said it was important for Malaysians to move as a nation with no community or races sidelined, especially women, because the 21st century offered new opportunities and challenges. "The solutions of the 20th century may no longer work for the 21st century. Today our country's prosperity and competitiveness depends on all of us as Malaysian citizens," she said. She was speaking during the 2012 International Women's Day Gala Dinner themed 'Empowering Women Towards National Transformation' organised by the Malaysian Chinese Women Entrepreneurs Association at the Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre here, Friday evening. Also present were the association's president Dr Susan Cheah, Tourism minister Dr Ng Yen Yen and Women, Family and Community Development deputy minister Heng Seai Kie. Rosmah said women cannot be expected to contribute to the nation if they were robbed of basic rights such as access to education, healthcare, legal rights and the freedom to plan their own lives and families. "They cannot be equal contributors if they have no access to finance and credit to start a business or jobs to lift them out of poverty. "Women cannot be active members of society if they are victims of abuse, slavery and injustice...women can only hold up half the sky and be successful in life if they are not denied opportunities, justice and equality," she said. She expressed hope that men and women would be able to enjoy freedom and liberty in accessing equal opportunities regardless of region, city or community as these were the fundamental rights to human dignity. Without dignity, there can be no purpose or meaning in life and Malaysians should focus on these issues to move towards achieving a developed nation status for the 21st century, Rosmah said. -- BERNAMA