SEREMBAN: Fathers in Malaysia deserve five-star rating as they have generally proven to be the best, said Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.
DATUK SERI SHAHRIZAT ABDUL JALIL
She said young fathers were not embarrassed to help their wives in the kitchen, take care of their children, tidy the house and wash clothes.
“Very few fathers during my generation were like them,” she said after opening the national-level Father’s Day celebration here yesterday.
She said Malaysian fathers still deserved top recognition although there were cases of irresponsible fathers who threw away their babies or suddenly disappeared.
She added that their numbers were small while the majority of Malaysian fathers were responsible, caring and loving.
Shahrizat said the Father’s Day celebration this year focused on young fathers because out of seven million families in the country, 42 per cent were headed by young fathers.
She said the challenges faced by today’s fathers are awesome as today’s typical family unit comprises a father, mother and their children, which is different from those of yesteryears where the family unit also consisted of the grandparents.
“As both parents are working these days, fathers must be prepared to be responsible, interact and make their presence felt at home.”
Asked whether single fathers should be given more support as there were already many associations looking after the interest of single mothers, Shahrizat said it was not an issue as women tended to form associations.
“What is important is for fathers to be responsible and love and respect their wives to create a happy family,” she said. — Bernama