A more positive image of Sabah women
Published on: Thursday, January 19, 2017
Kota Kinabalu: The outgoing Women and Media Committee (2015-2016) under the Sabah Women's Advisory Council (MPWS) has fulfilled its objectives, said Committee Chairperson Hanaa Wong Abdullah.She said overall, the Committee has generated a more positive image of women in Sabah through its activities."We have done well for encouraging these conversations. It has been a very fulfilling and educational term with an excellent and dedicated group of men and women who are equally passionate about elevating the status of women in Sabah.
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"Through their writings, female journalists in the committee relentlessly pushed for fulfilment of the 30pc target for women participation in decision-making roles."I hope all will continue the commendable work with as much enthusiasm and energy, if not more, if reappointed. Gratitude goes to MPWS Chairperson Datuk Mariati Robert and Deputy Chairperson Datuk Margaret Fung for the opportunity to lead this committee," she said.The Women and Media Committee comprised Deputy Chairperson Julita Ontol, and Members Hjh Asmiah Hj Ajamain, Mary Chin, Leag Koon Lan, Cusna Yusof, Jackson Sawatan, Maryann Razan, Ophelia Domingo, Warman Wagiman, Aminah Hj Jikor (Secretary) & Jainal Killi (Asst Secretary).
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Hanaa said a pressing question was how the media could play an effective role in women empowerment. Towards this end, she worked closely with the Sabah Women's Affairs Department (Jabatan Hal Ehwal Wanita Sabah (JHEWA), which serves as the Secretariat to MPWS, to conduct programmes which are two-pronged: to give women NGOs a good platform to voice their concerns as MPWS acts as a bridge to bring these concerns to the relevant authorities, and to build stronger ties with media practitioners, especially women, to understand better the challenges faced by them.
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One achievement of the Committee was the creation of a blog for MPWS – mpwsonline.com. "We achieved this with the great work executed by Jackson Sawatan (Committee Member). Contents included the objectives and functions of MPWS, those of the Women and Media Committee, and a calendar of events for the Council's seven Committees (Education, Health, Economic, Social, Legal, Gender, and Women & Media)."We uploaded MPWS news in the print media in English, Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Kadazandusun. What a proud moment when Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Musa Hj Aman, officially launched the blog at the 2015 Hari Wanita celebration. The headline in one local paper screamed 'MPWS has its own blog - after 27 years'. What a great legacy for future committees to continue with," Hanaa enthused.For bridging any communication gaps between women NGOs and MPWS, the Committee revived the traditional MPWS Luncheon Talk with those NGOs in 2015 in conjunction with Hari Raya Aidil Fitri. Guest speaker James Sarda, who is the Daily Express Chief Editor, deliberated on the history of women development in Sabah, the changing roles and rise of women leaders in politics. At a tete-a-tete session, Datuk Mariati Robert, Datuk Asminar Sukardi, Datuk Margaret Fung, Datuk Noni Said and Datuk Siti Sapoo Ahok fielded questions from the 350-strong audience. "Women were reassured that annually, when MPWS holds an audience with the Chief Minister prior to the State-level Women's Day Celebration, suggestions and requests from women NGOs are conveyed, so women's voices are heard." Another luncheon talk was held in September 2016 with the theme "Glass Ceiling, Glass Walls, Fact or Fiction?" Sharing their experiences were Datuk Noni Said, Datuk Hjh Rosmawati Lasuki, Freddy Rantau and Hjh Nemy Ontol with Datuk Dr. Hjh Zaiton Ajamain as Moderator. "A robust discussion ensued with women questioning if Glass Ceilings still exist in present-day Sabah. Sadly, the conclusion is that it still does exist, so much work remains to be done!"For the Women's Day Celebration (2015 and 2016), the Women & Media Committee had a role to play. "In 2015, our contribution was staging an exhibition of MPWS History from Jhewa's publications (produced by MPWS Committees) and a private collection of scrapbooks and others. "We also commissioned a 24-foot LED screen to depict activities compiled from the seven committees. If anything, it imparted an upgraded image of MPWS through complementing print with electronic media."Last year, the committee published a full-colour, 48-page MPWS Bulletin for all committees to highlight their work. "The coverage showed how well MPWS contributed to empowering rural and urban women statewide, via numerous programmes and awareness talks. "For the first time, names of recipients of the Tokoh Wanita, Wanita Cemerlang and Persatuan Cemerlang awards since 1993 were published. Another first was the inclusion of newspaper articles in three languages."In May 2016, the Women and Media Committee initiated a Short Video Competition (chaired by Datu Rosmadi Datu Sulai, Deputy Chairman, Gender Committee) to gauge the public's perception and understanding on the 'Gender' concept. "We wanted to create a baseline for MPWS in determining Sabahans' progression in Gender Equality." Collaboration between the Gender and Women & Media Committees led to the Selfie and Wefie Competitions on 'Gender', with prizes for all three competitions (Open and School categories) totalling over RM10,000.Based on response and feedback, Hanaa deduced that the competition was an ideal platform for MPWS to connect with the youth to raise greater awareness on Gender Equality. "Videos reflected women's great contribution in developing the character of our younger generation, not just in child-rearing but also as household heads and breadwinners."Datin Seri Faridah Hj Tussin, wife of the Chief Minister, presented prizes to the first winners at the Keningau Women's Day (August 2016).Meanwhile, the Committee concurred with Hanaa that it would be good to hear from women journalists themselves, the challenges they were facing in the line of duty, and to see whether MPWS could assist to provide solutions. Therefore, an inaugural luncheon talk with the media was initiated in December 2015 with veteran journalists Leag Koon Lan, Anna Vivienne, Sandra Sokial, Normimie Diun and Mary Chin sharing their stories. "It was touching and enlightening to those hearing such experiences for the first time. Rarely do we think about the people behind the papers, risking their lives to bring us up-to-date news."Some pertinent issues were raised like the call for better protection as the security of women journalists who may work in high-risk zones, is at stake. "Even a request for better lighting at the workplace parking areas was heard." In this regard, Hanaa compiled a report for submission to the editors of media houses, again a first-time for the Committee.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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