PUTRAJAYA: The Women Empowerment Year 2018 (TMW18) will be the best platform to showcase outstanding achievements of Malaysian women at the national and international levels, so that they can inspire other women, says Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim.
She said this was because there were many success stories of Malaysian women, including at the international level, that had not been rightly publicised.
“So, through the TMW18, the ministry will gather all information about outstanding achievements of these women to be put on display during the Women’s Day celebration in August,” she told the media after the launch of the TMW18 logo, brand and portal by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak here yesterday.
Rohani said the TMW18 would provide support for women to continue looking forward, and at the same time, would continue to improve and uplift the status of Malaysian women in the future.
As such, the minister called on all government agencies, corporate bodies and non-governmental organisations to use the TMW18 logo to show their solidarity and support in the implementation of women empowerment programmes.
The rose-shaped TMW18 logo symbolises the feminine characteristics of the five petals that represent the five clusters of economy, education, safety, health and culture.
The midnight blue colour is chosen to reflect the nature of women’s strength and well-being.
At the event, Najib also presented a certificate of appointment to two TMW2018 icons, namely a member of the Selangor Royal Family, Datin Paduka Setia Tengku Zatashah Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah and the owner of Fashion Valet, Datin Vivy Yusof, as the movers and drivers for the outstanding achievement in the fields of volunteerism and entrepreneurship.
Entrepreneur and celebrity Noor Neelofa Mohd Nor was also appointed as a TMW2018 icon, but was not present yesterday.
Speaking to reporters after the launch, Tengku Zatashah said it was important for the government to push young girls and women to further their career.
“Women are very good in multi-tasking and can juggle between personal and professional life and this area really need to be pushed forward for women in Malaysia.
“For me, women in Malaysia have done a lot and we can do more as well,” she said.
The princess also said other areas needed to be focused on women empowerment include education and health.
Vivy, on the other hand, said her appointment as one of the TMW18 icons was a golden opportunity for her to learn something new throughout the programme.
She said she believed that women had their own strength and weakness and for that, they need to unite and support each other.
“Personally, I have big dreams for myself, and at the same time, I also want everyone else to succeed and achieve their dreams,” she said. — Bernama