By Sulyn Chong
SHAH ALAM, Feb 11 — The community should encourage and empower women as leaders and place themselves in decision-making positions for the betterment of women in Selangor and the country, said state executive councillor for women and family development Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud.
“Politically, there are not many women, thus, we should encourage more women to be in politics. But politics here does not necessarily mean being an assemblyman or MP. It is being in a position where we can make decisions and participate in decision-making processes,” she said.
Dr Siti Mariah said that although there have been support systems in place for women it is not enough to push them out into the workplace.
“The state government has created many support systems for women because we want women to go out to work. We want to empower women so they can be contributors to the country’s productivity. However, it is not enough.
“We are aware of this, but awareness among the people has been slow as current developments still do not take into account the facilities needed to encourage women in workplaces, such as providing nurseries or kindergarten,” she said during the Forum Sembang Sihat (Health Forum) organised by Team Beauty with Brain of Akademi Kepimpinan Wanita (APK) Cohort Three under the Wanita Berdaya Selangor (WBS) at Galabites Lounge, Radia Commercial Bukit Jelutong, Shah Alam, here today.
Besides that, Dr Siti Mariah said that the state government is concerned with issues of obesity among its citizens and stunted brain development among the younger generation which can lead to them finding it hard to cope with life.
She hopes that society will be supportive and encouraging of these people and not put them down in their efforts to be better.
“Many of us are actually weighing more than our ideal body weight. Being overweight can cause many other non-communicable diseases such as heart attacks, high cholesterol or diabetes. This is why we need to combat obesity before it becomes a heavy burden to our healthcare system.
“As for stunted brain development, we are seeing more and more people in the new generation battling with stress, anxiety and depression. The state government has an ecosystem in place to support people in need, but we, as a society, should be supportive of people who are finding it hard to cope with life and offer them help when they need it,” she said.
Meanwhile, Beauty with Brain team leader Mazwin Mohd Sohor said that today’s programme is held to provide a platform to disseminate the latest information, channelling knowledge and awareness as well as promoting nutritional health among women and the community.
“We should all cultivate a responsible attitude on the importance of consuming healthy food in the right quantity and make it a catalyst for a healthy lifestyle.
“We need to understand the nutrition that is appropriate for each individual and through that, we can identify personal changes in our lives and probably even detect early signs of health problems. All so that we can combat it,” she said.
The Forum Sembang Sihat (Health Forum) programme is aimed at providing free advice on healthy living and healthy eating while introducing as well as encouraging a healthy lifestyle among the Selangor community.
