KUALA LUMPUR: There should not be a compulsory minimum percentage or quota for women in leadership roles across all sectors, says a ministry deputy-secretary general.
International Trade and Industry Ministry deputy secretary-general Mastura Ahmad Mustafa said women should be given leadership roles based on merit.
"I don’t agree with that percentage because there will be a tendency to work towards that threshold,” she said.
"We want more than that - we want women to be recognised on merit, not just to meet that percentage point," added Mastura.
She said this during a panel session titled "Empowering Women Leaders in Asean’s Economic Growth" at Menara Miti on Thursday (Jan 9).
Mastura added that the idea of setting a quota for women in leadership roles is outdated, as women prefer equal opportunities to men.
"That mentality is incorrect because we want equal opportunity for all women and to be judged based on credibility, competence, and capability," said Mastura.
However, Mastura said men currently dominate top roles in the civil service.
"The reality is, out of the 28 ministries we have, there are only two lady secretaries-general. It is our responsibility to educate everybody not to discriminate against men and women," said Mastura.
Infectious disease expert Prof Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman disagreed with Mastura, saying it is still important to have a quota for women in top roles.
"Otherwise, it is easy to make excuses and say we can’t find the right women for the job. Equally important is to have the intervention to ensure that we are producing women leaders," said Adeeba, who is also a member of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Science Council.
Adeeba said there is currently a lack of women in science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) roles.
Adeeba, the president and pro vice chancellor of Monash University Malaysia, said female leaders are not made overnight.
"I think it has to start from childhood, from the home, right through schools and obviously in higher education and the workplace," said Adeeba.
Girls for Girls International global president and co-founder Izzana Salleh also expressed similar sentiments, saying a quota is necessary as women might still miss out on opportunities despite having merit and experience.
"I do think that if there wasn’t a conversation to push for a certain number, the actual appointment may not happen. We want to normalise these conversations," said Izzana.
The session was moderated by Star Media Group chief content officer Datin Paduka Esther Ng, who said that her newsroom had many women leaders.
"I look at my own department; 70% of my section heads are women. They are there not because we wanted to embrace inclusivity and diversity, but they are the best people for the job. They are there on merit," said Ng.
Ng recounted being shocked to find she was the only woman editor-in-chief from mainstream media six years ago.
"This is the media industry, the very industry which questions the fact of what happened to the 30% women as decision makers," added Ng.
The two-day Asean Economic Opinion Leaders Conference: Outlook for 2025, of which Star Media Group is an exclusive media partner, concludes today.
