{"id":3166,"date":"2012-11-06T14:02:11","date_gmt":"2012-11-06T06:02:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.therocket.com.my\/en\/?p=3166"},"modified":"2012-11-06T14:02:11","modified_gmt":"2012-11-06T06:02:11","slug":"make-way-for-the-pakatan-women-suki-wong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.therocket.com.my\/en\/make-way-for-the-pakatan-women-suki-wong\/","title":{"rendered":"Make way for the Pakatan Women – Suki Wong"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cHow to define women\u2019s rights? The right to have a decent job, a decent pay? Equal life conditions as men? I guess we are requesting the same condition as men are having, or at least to be at the same level of competition with men.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Draping herself in a bright yellow scarf\u2014the Bersih hue, as bright as her charisma\u2014Wong Shu Qi, or Suki as she is fondly known, paints self-assuredness onto her canvas of political views.<\/p>\n

Suki, a staunch Johorean, divides her time between her role at the DAP national headquarters in Pudu as an DAP executive secretary for political education, with the weekly party activities at her branch in Kulai.<\/p>\n

She strongly advocated the demonstrations in Pengerang, fighting with the residents against the upcoming RAPID project. In one of her weekends in Kulai recently, Suki was part of the committee of a fundraising dinner organised DAP Selang branch and DAP for Parliament of Kulai.<\/p>\n

It was one of the series of successful fundraising dinners in Johor, with full house attendances all around\u2014already an uplifting feat, signifying increasing support for Pakatan Rakyat down south.<\/p>\n

Her views on women\u2019s rights issues are equally energetic. \u201cHow to define women\u2019s rights?\u201d Suki begins. \u201cThe right to have a decent job, a decent pay? Equal life condition as men, or not? I guess we are requesting the same condition as men are having, or at least to be at the same level of competition with men.\u201d<\/p>\n

More Working Women, Please
\n<\/strong>Acknowledging the fact that Malaysian women\u2019s performance in workforce is still not on par with those of developed nations, Suki points out the two recurring reasons: family factor and traditional values. \u201cWomen are \u2018requested\u2019 by the society, as a mother and a wife, to take care of the family.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut today, women can be good leaders at work, and in the public life as well. They are \u2018burdened\u2019 by that,\u201d Suki continues. \u201cIt\u2019s exactly like the Mandarin saying: \u2018a candle burnt at both ends\u2019.<\/p>\n

The dilemma lies in whether or not the government should intervene in what is perceived as private realms. Suki believes that it should be a balance of both, and she agrees that the government should assume responsibility to take care of its citizens, and in this case, the women.<\/p>\n

In this light, the falling figures in female participation in the workforce should get any concerned government questioning: have we done enough to close the gender gap?<\/p>\n

The alarmed Suki is persistent that women should be encouraged on going back to their jobs and persuaded to re-join the workforce. By doing so, however, Suki reminds, that by doing so doesn\u2019t mean that they\u2019re abandoning their families.<\/p>\n

It is never too late to re-invite females back in the workforce, in particular the highly educated ones. Space should be given for them to cater, improvise and balance their family-related concerns.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are now wasting our female work force. Highly educated ones, especially. We should fully utilize female talents,\u201d Suki suggests. \u201cWe need flexible working policies for instance tax-cuts, or incentives to corporate companies providing flexible working time for women and childcare centers\u2014and not only for women, but for men who want to take care of their children.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Pakatan Rakyat\u2019s Malaysian Women Agenda, Suki is optimistic that the coalition is doing its best to take into serious account family network support. For instance, Pakatan Rakyat\u2019s policy of implementing 90 days of maternity leave and 14-day paternity leave is already being emulated by Barisan Nasional state governments.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s a good trend. It shows competition between the political alliances and we should provide friendlier policies for our people. We don\u2019t mind Barisan copying from us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Female Participation: Challenges, Perks?
\n<\/strong>\"\"<\/a>Suki takes pride in the increasing female voice in the public realm today. Taking the progressive stand, she believes that more can be done. \u201cYou\u2019ll find that more women are more outspoken and daring today,\u201d describes Suki.<\/p>\n

She suggests more political education to empower women to use their life skills and knowledge in order to become better and well-equipped local leaders.<\/p>\n

It is still a male-orientated political field, Suki admits. \u201cI remember during my earlier days, I found myself in a function which was full of black-and-white clothed men. They spoke as if there were no women around. Yes, you have to adapt to that. Many women will find it quite intimidating. But things are definitely improving.\u201d<\/p>\n

A self-professed feminist, Suki finds it uncomfortable to be related to female-only issues and activities, stressing that female leaders in general should be in charge of the same concerns that men are.<\/p>\n

Suki also comments on the relevance of women\u2019s wing in political parties, asserting: \u201cWe need the Women Wing to help raising women\u2019s awareness in politics and to increase participation in politics.\u201d<\/p>\n

Believing that the women\u2019s wing should be as temporary as the suggested quota to encourage women participation in politics, Suki responds firmly: \u201cOnce we don\u2019t need it, we should abolish it. The quota is never supposed to be a permanent one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Female participants in politics face one clear obstacle, according to Suki, and that is time.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor our married female members,\u201d Suki adds, \u201cEspecially when they need to take care of their children, it\u2019s quite difficult. Even our elected representatives are facing those problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joining and working in politics, however, was not her first option. As a student majoring in Journalism and Political Studies back in Taiwan, Suki sees her future in journalism, and once she returned to Malaysia, that was what she ventured into.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, after talking to some political leaders during my time as a journalist, one of them being my current boss now, Anthony Loke, I felt inspired.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have always felt that my journalist job can\u2019t fulfill my vision\u2014it\u2019s not that I\u2019m not satisfied with the journalism field\u2014but \u201cI don\u2019t want to be only as a person who writes, standing only as a medium,\u201d Suki says. \u201cI just felt that I could do more for the country, for the people.\u201d<\/p>\n

We Shall Not Waste Anymore Talent
\n<\/strong>Suki\u2019s mother was against her returning home, telling her to remain in Taipei, and to find a job there. \u201cShe cited safety reasons: \u2018it\u2019s not safe here, the rape cases happen daily, don\u2019t come home,\u201d Suki tells us. \u201cBut after the 2008 elections, my mother changed her mind: \u2018if you want to return, then come home.\u2019 I came back in September 2008.\u201d<\/p>\n

Suki sees this as a shine of hope starting to radiate amongst Malaysians, post-2008 political tsunami. \u201cNot only young people, but even for older people: they are finally seeing the hope for the nation\u2014after 55 years! Finally, there\u2019s hope.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s heartbreaking to see talents flee to foreign countries, refusing to contribute to betterment of the country. But Suki is confident that things are going to be otherwise. \u201cYes, it seems that they\u2019re voting this government out by foot. It\u2019s not going to be like that anymore. We can lead a good life here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Changes must be done in order to realize that hope. And as for Suki, reform is impossible to ignore, especially with regards to the institutions in the country. \u201cBecause the most important thing for Malaysia is structural reform. We need to reform our government structure, agencies,\u201d Suki explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not talking about cutting the number of existing staffs, no. We must make full use of the huge civil servant force. Make them more competent. I guess they would love to be better, as well. I mean, who does not want to be good and chooses to be bad?\u201d<\/p>\n

Indeed, to educate people to foster ties and develop greater respect towards differing identities, in this case, gender, is a long-term achievement, Suki realizes. \u201cWe need to teach people how to respect each other, how to value women and how to treat each other well,\u201d she contemplates. \u201cEven for the next generation of boys, and men. We need to educate them about gender issues, not only female matters but also of the minorities, LGBT; to respect each other and accept differences.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s this term in Mandarin for gender equality – \u2018nan nv ping deng\u2019. \u2018Ping deng\u2019 carries the meaning \u2018equality\u2019, while \u2018nan\u2019 and \u2018nv\u2019 mean \u2018male, female\u2019. I\u2019m not fond of this term. When we speak of \u2018equality\u2019, everyone is included, not only males, females, but other people \u2013 it\u2019s inclusive.\u201d<\/p>\n

With her spirits still gleaming as her brightly coloured scarf, Suki concludes her points: \u201cWork out, voice out. We can build a better nation. We should have a country where everyone\u2019s dreams are never too big to be achieved.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0 \u2013 The Rocket<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cHow to define women\u2019s rights? The right to have a decent job, a decent pay? Equal life conditions as men? I guess we are requesting the same condition as men are having, or at least to be at the same level of competition with men.\u201d Draping herself in a bright yellow scarf\u2014the Bersih hue, as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3169,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-interviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.therocket.com.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.therocket.com.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.therocket.com.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.therocket.com.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.therocket.com.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3166"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.therocket.com.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3166\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.therocket.com.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3169"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.therocket.com.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.therocket.com.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.therocket.com.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}