We hope that Malaysia can be proudly declared to be a nation that has abolished all discriminatory laws against women in the new century. Our commitment to advance women's rights and efforts to enhance women's status will be more beneficial to Malaysia's international image than megaprojects such as the construction of supermalls, big dam, largest palace, longest bridge, tallest tower or most technologically advanced airport. To commemorate the IWD of the New Millennium, I call upon the Government to list IWD as a public holiday. This will be a gesture to recognize women's contribution to development and nation building. The importance of women's economic contribution warrants a pro-active approach on the concerns of working women, both at home and outside.
Women nowadays represent a sizeable proportion of the workforce in Malaysia.
Although there are indications that Malaysia is undergoing some economic recovery, many sectors including manufacturing, hotel and tourism, retailing, banking and finance, etc. are still experiencing hardship. Economic restructuring in these sectors represent a great threat to women employees. Human Resource Ministry should ensure that corporate restructuring and retrenchment must go hand in hand with adequate social protection for workers in particularly women. The advancement of technology may create a greater gender gap in our workforce. It is unfortunate that despite the country's rapid pace of industrialization, childcare and nursery facilities have been extremely expensive and highly inadequate.