The DAP Ipoh Barat MP said there was a need to bring significant changes to the lives of working mothers.

“The race to eradicate the inequality that exists seems to have taken a step back after the fall of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government last year.

“Working mothers are a crucial segment of the national workforce, yet we seem to have forgotten their contribution and the immense role they play in our society,” Kula said in a statement today in conjunction with International Women’s Day.

Among others, he said, during his stint as the human resources minister, he had championed several women-centric initiatives, including a proposal to introduce a new law to provide Social Security Organisation (Socso) coverage for all housewives.

“The law was supposed to be brought to Parliament to be debated but that effort was derailed after the Sheraton Move (in February last year).

“The law would have benefited about 1.4 million housewives in the country, and was part of PH’s pledge to provide better social security for Malaysian housewives,” he said of the proposal which was first made in June 2018, one month after PH took over Putrajaya.

Kula claimed to have also proposed flexible working arrangements and supportive family-friendly practices, such as individual income tax exemption of up to 12 months to eligible women returnees and 90 days maternity leave as well as seven days of paternity leave.

He said he had received conditional approval for the proposal.

“Unfortunately, the Sheraton Move resulted in PH losing Putrajaya, which meant all the good work had been halted.

“I urge the PN government to consider reviving these reforms immediately and also to study and implement better flexible work schedules for working mothers,” he said.