By Sulyn Chong
WOMEN in decision-making positions are far and few between but Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud has shown us that it is not impossible to be in a position of power and own it.
In addition to being a state representative for the Seri Serdang state constituency since 2018, Dr Siti Mariah is also the state executive councillor for three portfolios, namely, public health, women development and family empowerment as well as unity.
Due to her wealth of medical knowledge, she was a catalyst for the Selangor government during the Covid-19 pandemic which hit Malaysia hard from March 2020 until late 2021.
Through this stormy phase, Dr Siti Mariah made the move to set up the Selvax programme, a vaccination programme that offered free Covid-19 vaccinations which benefited hundreds and thousands of people in Selangor, and helped the state achieve herd immunity that was in line with the federal government’s National Covid-19 Immunisation programme (Pick).
Although Selvax was a successful programme, her proudest achievement to date and most popular among the people would be the Selangor Mental Health (Sehat) programme which began even before the pandemic hit.
“Mental health disorders are the second-highest health problem suffered in Selangor and it was accentuated during the pandemic. That is why we encourage everyone in Selangor to make use of the programme as we have qualified counsellors onboard to help with all sorts of mental issues.
“Needless to say, Sehat has become a complete ecosystem which runs on its own now and it is very much community-based. It is also digitalised, so it is very convenient to use it and seek help,” she said.
The Sehat programme is now mostly driven by passionate volunteers (Sukar — a health volunteer team for the state, very much like Team Selangor) in every state constituency but there is still lots of room for improvement as Dr Siti Mariah said.
“In the urban areas, the programme is well-received and utilised actively. Even with our Selangor Saring and Selvax programme, you can see that people are more responsive to these initiatives in urban locations. In the rural areas, the uptake is not as what we hope,” she explained.
Piling one achievement on another is testament to Dr Siti Mariah’s passion for her job to represent people from all walks of life in Selangor, to be their voice in making sure government policies help them, and her way of making a difference.
Hence, her most successful programme in the five years she assumed office would be the Anak Istimewa Selangor (Anis) initiative, which was established on the very year she was given the seat.
The programme is aimed to improve education for special needs children in Selangor and to safeguard their welfare.
For Dr Siti Mariah, she said she is very glad to see the programme evolving so well and that it has helped more people than she can imagine.
“It has grown from being just a special needs support centre that provides functional diagnosis on special needs children to a kindergarten specialising in special needs childcare services and schooling.
“We even have an academy now for older special needs students where parents, teachers and volunteers for special needs children are involved. We are slowly covering all ages and we hope we are able to open up more centres to benefit more children and families.
“We work closely with many non-government organisations (NGOs) and I am grateful for all the help everyone has contributed to make the programme a success. If possible, we would like to call on local authorities to help out as well, so that the programme can expand to various localities.
“But there is always room to grow and we will always be in need of more funding and help in other aspects because I believe in accessibility and sustainability in every programme I start. It should be able to continue on no matter who takes over next,” she said.
For that reason alone, Dr Siti Mariah made a push to set up a foundation, the Yayasan Insan Istimewa (Special People’s Foundation, Yanis), to support the Anis programme not only in terms of funding but also to empower the special needs children and their families.
“They are tasked to look for funding outside of the state government, such as from large corporations through their CSR (corporate social responsibility) programmes because we require lots of funds to expand our activities for the benefit of these special individuals. “But they are also tasked to make sure empowerment activities are constant,” she said.
Many hands make light work
When recalling her first day at work, Dr Siti Mariah remembered feeling a little uncertain as there were no briefings on how things should be done.
“The pathway was also uncertain and I had to carry three portfolios which were rather heavy. There was also no standard way of doing things, so I just learned along the way. It’s a journey of continuous learning,” she said.
Her toughest moment was when she was given the unity portfolio at the tail end of 2020 after relinquishing the welfare one to V Ganabatirau as it was the first time this component was added to a state executive councillor portfolio.
“I had to start from zero and it is quite challenging because it is a new field for me, unlike medicine or women.
“When we have to come up with unity acts, I have to engage and learn from universities, institutions and even research bodies to make sure the facts are there. Unfortunately, the outcome is not always to everyone’s satisfaction,” she said.
However, she credits her amazing team for always being by her side to help her with her work and being the best supporters to champion her causes.
“They are young, enthusiastic and very passionate about the job. I work well with them and thankfully, they help me stay young. “Without them, I would not be able to achieve all these. I also have great support from many departments outside my office, which has made the work lighter,” she said.
Empowered and independent
Being a woman in a position of power is never an easy task. Still, for Dr Siti Mariah, women should learn to be independent and continuously upgrade themselves so as not to be left behind.
“We need to keep learning new skills, to be independent economically, to understand your rights as a woman. We need to know our limitations and then enhance what we lack. But most importantly, we all need to be agents of change. And to do that, we need to start with ourselves,” she said.
Dr Siti Mariah understands that there may seem like many steps to take before a woman can get to the top and be on par with men but true equity is never a lonely journey.
“As women, we need to build our own confidence first and foremost, and being a woman, we should support other women. I always believe that there is power in numbers, which is why I seek to enlarge the pool of abled women through the various programmes and initiatives in the state.
“Sadly, we are still failing in political positions but it does not mean it is impossible. We must learn to accept responsibilities and push ourselves to be leaders. Although I understand, as women we carry many weights, such as being caregivers and childcare providers, but do not worry, because this is where the state comes in by offering the necessary support so that women can thrive,” she said with a smile.
This article first appeared in the Selangor Journal monthly March edition, published on March 6, 2023.
