Playing golf and writing articles are among suggestions the cabinet minister in charge of women’s affairs has for women to be visible for recruitment as board members of companies.

"If you have to play golf, be it, play golf. Take up golf, I mean it’ll make yourself visible.

"If you know how to write articles in newspapers and magazines, do it. This is all part of being visible," said Rohani Abdul Karim, the women, family and community development minister.

Industry players, Rohani said, were very particular about recruiting capable people into company boards. Potential candidates must therefore be able to socialise, be visible and know how to market themselves.

'Some of them got very impatient'

She said some 900 women had gone through government training for top management roles, but only 26 of them have so far been recruited into company boards.

"Some of them got very impatient and upset with us. We have been working very hard, but don't wait for the ministry to play a role in this.

"You have to do it on your own, you have to market yourself," Rohani said, adding that the 26 women were able to get into company boards on their own initiatives.

The ministry initiated efforts to boost women’s participation in public company boards after some businesses claimed it was hard to find suitable female board members five years ago, she said.

Despite women comprising up to 34 percent at the management level, only 16 percent them were elected as board members in public companies, while the number of women elevated into public-listed company boards was even smaller, only 10.3 percent.

During the press conference after a launch of the Malaysian chapter of the 30% Club, a women’s organisation, Rohani kept mum when asked about inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar’s comment that it was unnecessary to set up a sex offender registry.

“We had issued a statement yesterday,” she said.

 

The Women’s Ministry will look into the suggestion to set up a registry.

When further asked of the stand of her party, PBB, on 1 Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) and the latest sale of Tun Razak Exchange (TRX) land, a male assistant took Rohani’s wrist and led her away.