THE purpose of International Women’s Day is pretty simple. It celebrates equality and the women of the whole world from the stay-at-home mothers to business leaders.
While the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic is still ongoing, the Penang government is clear in its stance that showing gratitude and appreciation to the women in the society should not be forgotten.
State executive councillor Chong Eng, who is in charge of the Social Development and Non-Islamic Religious Affairs portfolio, said this year’s theme called ‘Choose to Challenge’ is one that fits perfectly in our battle against the ongoing global medical crisis.
“By choosing to challenge, the women in our society are not only capable of making a difference for themselves, but for their families, friends, colleagues and anyone they encounter on a daily basis.
“The Penang government always gives importance to the contribution of women in the state through various initiatives that were introduced in the past.
“To name a few, we had previously launched the Top-Up Women-Only Additional Seats (TWOAS) initiative to increase women’s representation in the state legislative assembly, the Penang Women’s Assembly 2020, Women and Family Development Committee (WFDC) and many others,” she said during the International Women’s Day 2021 press conference via zoom today in Komtar today.
Chong Eng also added that a few virtual activities had already started during this campaign which would last for a month until the end of March.
“One of the activities that is ongoing now is the video competition with the #MemilihUntukCabar.
“This competition serves as a platform for working and non-working women to express their experiences in terms of contributions and sacrifices they had made in overcoming challenges in life,” she added.
International Women’s Day is celebrated worldwide on March 8.
Separately, Chong Eng also added that a small-scale ceremony to celebrate the women in the society would be held on March 27 at the Light Hotel on the mainland.
“Among the attendees would be state assemblymen, Village Community Management Council (MPKK) members, Penang Women’s Development Corporation (PWDC) members, winners of the various competitions and others,” she added.
Also present during the online press conference was PWDC chief executive officer Ong Bee Leng.
For further information about the campaign and competitions, please visit PWDC website at https://www.facebook.com/PWDCMalaysia.
Story by Kevin Vimal
Pix courtesy of PWDC