France Strives to Tackle Discrimination

By Ahmad Zukiman Zain KUALA LUMPUR, July 13 (Bernama) -– As France celebrates its national day (Bastille Day) tomorrow, French ambassador to Malaysia Martine Dorance said the French Government was working hard to tackle any kind of discrimination. She said the composition of the new government of Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, for instance, reflected the diversity of the French population with some of the ministers originating from North Africa and even Asia. Fleur Pellerin, Minister for Small and Medium Size Enterprises, Innovation and Digital Economy, was of Korean origin, she said. “The newly-elected Parliament has seen the arrival of eight new MPs of diverse origins: Africa, North Africa, Iran, Brazil...,” Dorance told Bernama in an interview at the embassy here. The photograph of new French President Francois Hollande was already up on the wall behind her desk while photographs of Malaysian and French leaders of various years adorned another part of the office wall. “Both Malaysia and France, at different times of their history, became host countries for other communities. “As a consequence, France, as well as Malaysia, is experiencing a vivid cultural diversity,” said Dorance who was appointed ambassador to Malaysia in November. She said France had an estimated population of between four and five million Muslims, who represented almost eight per cent of the overall population. (The figure is only an estimate as statistics based on religion and ethnicity are forbidden in France. The French Constitution condemns discrimination based on race or religion) “The fight against discrimination is particularly, relevant in the workplace in order to give each person equal opportunity, regardless of his or her origin,” she said. A 'Diversity Charter' created in France in 2004 – the first of its kind in Europe – manifests the commitment by companies to bar discrimination and promote diversity within their workforce. “This context has driven both France and Malaysia to practise intercultural dialogue and dialogue between civilisations as shown by Malaysia through the Global Movement of Moderate initiated by Prime Minister (Datuk Seri) Najib (Tun Razak),” said Dorance, who also speaks Portuguese and Hindi. Asked what aspects of Malaysia had impressed her, she said, what struck her most was the extraordinary dynamism of the country. “I visited this country many years ago, and today, I am impressed with the way it has developed, at such a steady pace, to become a fast emerging country,” she added. She is also impressed with the way Malaysia was engaging for its youth, in order to provide for education and the future of younger generations. “That is another similarity with France. President Hollande has made it clear in his programme that he had set himself the priority of investing for the future of young generations by improving our education system, taking into account new technologies,” she said. -- BERNAMA