Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Azalina Othman Said said according to the latest statistics, as of March this year, women’s participation in the public sector’s top management positions (Jusa C and above) was at 37%.

She said the prime minister had set a 30% target for women’s participation at decision-making level in the public sector by 2009 while in the private sector the 30% target was to be achieved by 2016.

“In the public sector,the target has clearly been achieved. However, in the private sector, so far there is only 15.6% of women’s participation in the decision-making level,” she said when opening the Welfare Association of Wives of Ministers and Deputy Ministers’ (Bakti) 39th annual general meeting here yesterday.

Present was the prime minister’s wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, who is also Bakti president.

In terms of political participation, Azalina said during the 13th General Election, 168 candidates, or 8%, of the total 1,900 candidates who had contested in the parliamentary and state seats were women.

“Out of 222 members of Parliament, 24 are women; 14 of them are from Barisan Nasional and four each from PKR and DAP as well as one each from PAS and Amanah.

“Under the current prime minister, we have achieved the highest number of participation of women in Parliament.

“It is time for Malaysia to have greater women’s participation in Parliament in line with the efforts to empower women, and I believe Bakti members can be the driving force for this,” she said.

– BERNAMA