LETTER | The Joint Action Group for Gender Equality (JAG) strongly condemns the removal of qualified women leaders in various government-linked companies (GLCs) and other organisations under the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government without a valid explanation.

Such moves are a clear step backward for the meaningful participation of women in leadership and decision-making. It does not bode well for the country.

This statement is a response to the recent removal of Dr Narimah Awin (above) as chairperson of the National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN) on June 15.

Since PN came to power in March, many women leaders have been abruptly terminated and removed from their positions despite their vast experiences and excellent credentials. Some of the women leaders who have been removed from their positions are:

● Hasnita Hashim (below), terminated from her position as Mara chairperson in March. Hasnita holds a PhD in nuclear physics from Oxford University and has over 25 years of experience in global financial management.

● Noor Farida Ariffin, terminated from her position as Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) chairperson in March. Noor Farida is a former ambassador of Malaysia to the Netherlands and had a long and distinguished career in public service as a judge and legal adviser. She also headed the law reform committee of the National Council of Women’s Organisations Malaysia.

● Noripah Kamso, terminated from her position as Bank Rakyat chairperson in April. Noripah has a vast experience in finance and specialises in the growth of Islamic asset management. Under her leadership, Bank Rakyat recorded a steady performance with a net profit of RM1.15 billion for the year ended 31 Dec 2019 and a profit before tax and zakat of RM1.79 billion.

● Nurini Kassim, terminated from her position as Bernama CEO in May. She was the first woman appointed as Bernama CEO and has 20 years of experience in management in various industries including government institutions, regulatory finance, IT, public relations, and corporate affairs.

She holds an MBA from the University of Hull and a Bachelor of Science (Hons) from Oxford Brookes University.

Extensive medical experience of Dr Narimah

Meanwhile, the move to terminate Dr Narimah as chairperson of LPPKN by Perikatan Nasional is bizarre and baffling at the same time considering that her experience in the medical field is extensive.

This is compared to her replacement, Parit MP and Parit Umno leader Mohd Nizar Zakaria (below), who has no medical background nor any experience or expertise in the field of family planning, and/or women's reproductive health.

Dr Narimah holds a Master in Public Health from the University of the Philippines and has 30 years of experience in the Ministry of Health. Her last post in the Ministry was as director of the Health Ministry’s Family Health Development division in 2007. She has vast experience in family and reproductive health both locally and internationally.

Dr Narimah was a fellow in the Malaysian Public Health Physicians' Association in 2012, a member of the Academy of Medicine Malaysia, and was a Regional Advisor (Maternal and Reproductive Health) at the Regional Office of the World Health Organisation (WHO) for the South East Asia Region in 2013.

LPPKN focuses on women and family health, fertility, and family planning, and Dr Narimah has served in this position well. She also appears to be the better candidate to continue to do so, as she has shown great understanding and appreciation for women’s lived realities.

She has also worked hard to address the various challenges faced by women and families in enjoying the highest standards of health.

JAG has increasing concerns about the wave of highly qualified leaders being replaced by political appointees in GLCs, which has now also hit LPPKN. Women’s representation in decision-making has been substantially eroded under the current government.

It is well established that women’s representation and participation is critical for the making of policies, laws, and programmes that fully consider women’s lived realities so that these policies, laws, and programmes offer effective solutions to ongoing challenges and problems.

While there has been a general removal of both men and women from GLCs, there is a concern that their replacements are political appointees with no obvious credibility and experience to do the job.

JAG is concerned about the gender imbalance in leadership positions as it will have a long term impact on the progress of women which will, in turn, affect the economy and Malaysia's recovery post-MCO. Advocating for women's empowerment and agency is important as it directly translates into economic gains for Malaysia.

The act of removing qualified women from leadership positions and replacing them with non-qualified individuals by the PN government is irrational. We at JAG demand that PN ensures the continued participation of women in government and government agencies as well as for Dr Narimah to be reinstated as chairperson of LPPKN.

The Joint Action Group for Gender Equality (JAG) is a coalition of 14 women’s rights organisations in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, and Sarawak.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.