MEI 2025
Give Responsibilities Based On Merit - Premier
KUALA LUMPUR, Sun: Premier of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said that opportunities and responsibilities should be granted to individuals based on merit, rather than being influenced by gender factors.
He noted that while societal acceptance of women in leadership roles is still subject to skeptism in some communities, such biased perceptions must be addressed to build an inclusive and competitive society.
“In Asian cultures, this might take time, but India accepted (the leadership of) Indira Gandhi, and Pakistan accepted Benazir Bhutto. Why not in other Asian countries?” he questioned.
He told the 170-odd participants of the summit that in Sarawak local communities accepted women as community leaders and village heads based on their leadership capabilities.
Abang Johari shared these views during a session titled “Leading ASEAN Sustainability and Digitalization” at the ASEAN Women’s Economic Summit (AWES) here, today.
The session was moderated by Ng Wei Wei, CEO of UOB Malaysia. Elaborating further, Abang Johari acknowledged that women in leadership still face challenges, but emphasized that every obstacle has a solution.
“(This includes leveraging) advancements in smart technology to overcome such constraints.
“Perhaps in the future, robots could assist you with artificial intelligence (AI) to enable women to fulfill their responsibilities effectively,” he said.
He added that Sarawak may also implement similar initiatives to support local women through technological advancements targeted for future development.