More women being appointed as leaders at grassroots level, says minister

KUCHING (March 10): The role of women in community leadership in Sarawak is becoming increasingly prominent, with more women now being appointed to leadership positions at the grassroots level.

Minister of Women, Early Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah said the development reflects growing trust in women taking on active roles in decision-making within their communities.

She pointed out that under Balai Ringin constituency, where Deputy Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Snowdan Lawan serves as assemblyman, around 30 per cent of community leaders are women.

“Datuk Snowdan informed me that his constituency covers about 232 villages and longhouses across two divisions, namely Serian and Sri Aman.

“Out of this number, around 30 per cent of the community leaders are women,” she said at the ‘Majlis Sejambak Kasih Aidilfitri 2026’ at the Sarawak Government Administrative Centre in Serian yesterday.

Fatimah described the achievement as encouraging, noting that it reflects the growing participation of women in leadership roles at the community level.

“I would like to congratulate and commend the women leaders who have demonstrated their capability in leading their communities,” she said.

In conjunction with International Women’s Day, she said her ministry remains committed to strengthening the gender equality agenda by providing opportunities for both women and men to contribute to community development.

She said the efforts cover various areas including leadership, education, economic development and social support for women.

“During the Covid-19 pandemic, we saw how women continued to find ways to earn an income despite movement restrictions.

“Many turned to online platforms to ensure their families continued to have a source of income,” she added.

Fatimah said providing opportunities for women are crucial in enabling them to realise their potential and capabilities in various fields.

“I myself was given the opportunity to enter politics when given the trust by previous leaders who believed that more women, especially those from rural areas, should be given education and leadership opportunities,” she said.

Meanwhile, Snowdan expressed hope that more women in his constituency would step forward to assume leadership roles in the future.

“Out of the 232 villages in my constituency, about 30 per cent of the community leaders are women.

“I hope to see this number increase as we want to empower women and strengthen their role as leaders,” he said.

He added that women’s involvement in community leadership not only strengthens village-level administration but also contributes to the social and economic development of local communities.