Alhamdulillah. YB Fuziah (Kak Gee) who attended the PH - Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul meeting today, informed me that MOF is keen to produce a Gender Responsive Budget (GRB) with Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) elements for the upcoming budget. If truly realised, it would be a positive step towards addressing gender equality, and future proofing Malaysia. She also informed me that Minister DS Tengku Zafrul showed interests in MPI as a tool.
KEADILAN MPs have been working hard on these matters as part of our pre-budget preparations led by Wong Chen.
Thank you very much for the stellar work done, Ale, Wong Chen’s officer - for collating all the written suggestions and recommendations over the many pre-councils between KEADILAN MPs.
Having completed our MPI survey, led by Professor Fatimah Kari & her team, local enumerators and our ground office - culminating in a finalised report on measuring the different dimensions of poverty (six conventional & 3 COVID-19 related) in Permatang Pauh, -it brings me pleasure to have my colleagues champion a more progressive and future proof measurement of poverty & its alleviation in the upcoming Budget and 12th Malaysia Plan.
Our office finalised a few recommendations to the MOF - specifically seeking an MPI centred approach to poverty eradication; and adoption of gender responsive measures in the dispensing of our national budget. The findings through our MPI survey confirmed that women headed households are in deeper financial crisis in comparison to conventional households - with a concerning intergenerational lack of social and educational mobility and increased food poverty amongst children.
As such - our national budget must be responsive to gender - a principle that carries through to the point of implementation. Since MOF limited reps to three from each party; I urged that YB Fuziah be included together with Wong Chen and our SecGen. Kak Gee (YB Fuziah) has been a long time advocate of gender responsive budgeting and together — the three of them also stressed the need for Malaysia to achieve the SDGs - specifically the 5th, in tandem with a more realistic measurement of poverty.
As for me; the task of briefing Minister Dato’ Seri Mustapa Mohamed on our completed MPI survey & our discussion on the key highlights to be raised during our 12th Malaysia Plan RTM session tomorrow night gave me some hope - of a new dawn in poverty eradication - if not necessarily, new politics 😅 Cautiously optimistic, bak kata Uncle Wong Chen.
Much to do - waver, we mustn’t.
Please note we are planning the launch of our MPI report. Join us as the date nears #Parlimen!
