Zaliha proposes gender-responsive budget statement

Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa, the chairman of the Government Backbenchers Club, has proposed that the Finance Ministry prepare a Gender Responsive Budget Statement. This statement would outline how public spending positively impacts women and highlight gaps in policies affecting them, according to the news source <source 1a7526e5-cb3>.

Zaliha suggested that the statement should provide details on allocations, beneficiary groups, targets, and policy outcomes by gender. She proposed initiating this with the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry, and then extending it to other ministries. Gender-responsive budgeting aims to ensure public resources are distributed fairly, taking into account the unique needs of women and men, as stated in the source.

In her statement to the Dewan Rakyat, Zaliha emphasized that these perspectives should be heard, considered, and integrated into government policy improvements. She noted that allocations benefiting women are spread across various ministries, as policies on transport, employment, health, education, and housing affect women's safety, economic participation, and well-being.

This step, according to Zaliha, would enable the government to assess who benefits from public spending and identify any gaps. The proposal came amid concerns raised by non-governmental organizations about women's economic participation, unpaid care work, and protection services for victims of gender-based violence, as reported in the article from the New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd.