Dads should play active role in childcare: Poon
Published on: Sunday, June 16, 2019
By: Ottey Peter
Kota Kinabalu: Fathers today should be more active in childcare responsibilities so that the workload at home will be divided between parents in order to enhance equilibrium, said State Health and People’s Wellbeing Minister Datuk Frankie Poon.
He said the father encourages competition, independence and achievement, while the mother encourages equality, security and collaboration.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Therefore, we cannot deny the significance and importance of a father in the personal development of a child,” said Poon at a Father’s Day contest prize-giving ceremony at Suria Sabah shopping mall, Saturday. His speech was read by his Ministry’s Assistant Permanent Secretary, Celestinus Lawanding.
The contest is part of Celebrating Fatherhood Campaign organised to promote the healthy involvement of fathers within the family by recognising the importance of a father as a role model in children’s life through a collection of stories from fathers who have been actively involved in parenting.
Poon also said his Ministry welcomes any initiative to promote good family values among the people and lauded the initiative by the Society for Equality, Respect and Trust for All (Serata) which organised a #BestFatherhoodMoments contest.
Serata Chairperson and Founder Sabrina Melisa Aripen said the event was primarily aimed at gaining more public awareness about the organisation besides raising awareness on the importance of fathers.
ADVERTISEMENT
She said gender equality is an issue that must involve the other half and through the celebration of Father’s Day.
“It reminds people both on the importance and the challenges of fatherhood and encourages fathers towards more involved in parenting where it is normally largely focused on women.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Everyone should recognise that fathers are not just there to help when mothers give birth, but to bond with their new child.
“Therefore, paternity leave is something that should be offered to all working men, as fathers are also responsible for being parents. If women have maternity leave and men do not have paternity leave, it is not a level playing field at work,” she said.
The Celebrating Fatherhood photo exhibition was launched in May 2019, where Serata worked together with Parents Avenue to collect photos from the public about fathers and their children, and the submissions were pre-screened by an internal team before being selected based on the number of likes on Facebook.
Meanwhile, Raymund Chau was adjudged as the first prize winner of the contest, while Foo Jin Hung and Aloysius Tan were second and third prize winners, respectively.
Chau, who garnered a total of 664 votes, won a two-day-one-night stay at Farida’s Bayshore Dream, Kuala Penyu, for up to four pax with breakfast and dinner, a dental check-up and dental spa by Phi Dental and a pass for five personal training sessions with Fitpro.
Hung, who gained a total of 442 votes, received a two-day-one-night stay at Zara’s Boutique Hotel, Kota Kinabalu, inclusive of breakfast as well as a voucher for a dental check-up and dental spa by Phi Dental.
Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
Tan, with 245 votes, received a voucher for a two-day-one-night stay at Hotel Gaia 95, Kota Kinabalu plus a dental check-up and dental spa by Phi Dental.
It was the first official event organised by Serata, a brand new non-profit organisation that promotes gender equality by engaging men and boys in partnership with women and girls.