Media Statement
by DAP Women Chairperson and MP for Bukit Mertajam, Chong Eng
in Petaling Jaya
on Saturday, 12th October 2002

DAP Women to hold a roundtable forum on October 15 to analyse the 2003 Budget from the gender point of view


If we assume that the 2003 Budget is a cake, do women, who make up half of the country's population, get half of the cake?

The allocation made by the Government to various development projects reflects its priority. As the family is the fundamental unit of society and the nation, does the 2003 Budget accord it due importance?

Since 1990, the different Five-Year Malaysia Plans had repeatedly pointed out that the low participation rate of women in the workforce and in the economic sector were due to the fact that they had to take care of their children. The various plans had proposed that both the public and private sector should provide childcare facilities to enable more women to work out of home. Did the 2003 Budget allocate money for the realization of this aim?

Prime Minister cum Finance Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad when opening a regional rural women development meeting in 2002 said that policy planners and decision makers in both private and public sectors are said to be "gender-blind and gender-insensitive" for making the assumption that men and women are the same whereas according to gender experts, men are women are different - they have different needs and they behave differently.

Was the 2003 Budget presented by Mahathir on September 22 "gender-blind and gender-insensitive" or "gender-sensitive"?

DAP Women Central Executive Committee will hold the first ever gender analysis of the Budget in the form of a roundtable conference entitled "2003 Budget - What is there for Women and Family?" on October 15, Tuesday, 8.00 p.m. at the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall.

All women and men who are interested in advocating a gender-sensitive budget are welcome to participate. Admission is free.