APPROACHABLE: Rohani is just a text or a phone call away from people who need help from her ministry.
WOMEN, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Rohani Abdul Karim is regarded as a warm and approachable public figure.
She entered politics in 1990 and was elected Santubong MP for three terms and from 2004 became MP for Batang Lupar until now.
Before making her foray into politics, Rohani was a civil servant and the former state director of the Women’s Bureau in Sarawak.
She feels blessed in her new post and pledges to do her level best for the people who need help from her ministry.
Before her present portfolio, she was Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry and a Parliamentary Secretary to the Rural Development Ministry (Rural And Regional Development Ministry).
thesundaypost caught up with her for a quick chat between her busy ministerial schedules.
Q: What is the focus of your ministry?
A: We have programmes for target groups like women, children, the aged, the handicapped, the poor, the destitute and homeless, NGOs and disaster victims.
When we talk about these target groups, it seems a very ordinary and everyday topic but if we don’t address it properly, it can become extraordinary. It can explode!
MPs are free to debate the topic because it is non-technical and everybody can chip in. However in our deliberations, we have to be very sensitive because things can get blown out of proportion — for example, a statement on a rape case.
If you make a wrong statement, there will be outcry from big women organisations out there and a lot of questions from politicians, NGO’s and the mass media.
There are actually many laws and Acts in place for my ministry to assist the target groups. We are working on the National Key Results Areas (NKRAs) to help low-income households under the 1Azam programme. The concept is to guide the poor to become independent.
1Azam which has 160,000 participants, is now in the monitoring stage where up-to-date progress performance is closely observed. Conservatively, we have to monitor every quarter (three months) to ensure the participants can make RM300 a month.
Another interesting area we are focussing on is flexi work for women who want to raise a family. This usually involves career women who want to continue working after giving birth. We encourage them to come back. It’s good for the country’s productivity and development. They can do it on flexi-hours.
Such an arrangement is already possible and 22 companies are participating in this flexi-hour programme, especially for career women.
My ministry is very concerned about the welfare of children and women, especially young teenaged mothers who got pregnant early. We have to make sure they are healthy and can work again later in life.
On the Penan issue (which has been misreported lately) I’m going to revisit it before coming up with a proper report. I will go through the recommendations one by one to get a clear overall picture of what has actually transpired and been implemented.
The Penan issue is not the only one that will be addressed – there are others that will be given similar attention such as the Belaga express boat tragedy and the Pulau Pinang bridge collapse, to mention just a couple among many others.
Q: How do you view your elevation from deputy minister to full minister?
A: I’m blessed and honoured to have been given the full minister post and more importantly, the trust that goes with it.
I started as an MP, then a parliamentary secretary, a deputy minister and now a full minister.
I have served four ministries and I find the experience invaluable in my present portfolio. It’s very important.
I was state director for the Women’s Bureau while working in the civil service.
I also formed the first Women’s Bureau in Sarawak. In a good way, this has prepared me for my future political roles at the national level, especially now as a full minister.
There are time and related constraints but you get a handle on these things with hindsight. I’m now working with the people who were together with me before. We are a team.
I give ideas and my officers expand on them. It’s easier if you come in from the outside — you get a good picture of what’s going on and this helps the ministry to perform better.
Q: How do you divide your time between your constituency and executive post?
A: I ask the grassroots leaders and the people in my area for their understanding and I bring them to my ministry to see how I handle my work.
My assistants are on the ground and I try to make it to my constituency every week but I will definitely be in the three state legislature areas under me at least once a month.
I’m reachable by telephone — can always text or call me. There are also my Facebook and my service centres if the people need my service. I divide my programmes into zones so that I can meet the people.
Q: Are you aiming for a higher post in your party — Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB)?
A: Right now, I’m too busy to be thinking about any party post. The ministry job is enough to occupy my time and I don’t think I will be going for any party post. It’s up to the boss.
Q: The minimum wage concept helps cushion the impact of poverty in the country and Sarawak. What is your ministry’s role in further helping to eradicate poverty, especially in rural Sarawak?
A: My ministry will work closely with its state counterpart to ensure that the poor is taken care of and that poverty is reduced through the many government welfare programmes.
The poverty level in Sarawak is lower than the national level — five per cent in West Malaysia and only three per cent in Sarawak.
My ministry has just been informed by its counterpart in Sarawak that the State Cabinet has carried out a review on all the assistance schemes for the poor and welfare institutions in the state.
All along we have been asking the state to follow the federal procedure in terms of providing welfare aid and allocation. We are asking for formal letter from the state on the matter — and I understand it’s on the way.
As for financial assistance, usually the federal side has a higher quantum but in view of price inflation and rising costs of living, I understand the state has reviewed the rate for general assistance from RM60 to RM150 (max RM250).
This is in line with what my ministry is doing.
We are also preparing the budget on food rations for those staying at the welfare institutions. Sarawak has increased the daily rate from RM8 to RM15.
Anything that is good for the rakyat, my ministry will do its level best to deliver.