KDYMM SPB Raja Permaisuri Agong Raja Zarith Sofiah menyeru agar suara wanita di Malaysia didengari di peringkat tertinggi dalam penggubalan dasar dan proses membuat keputusan negara.
Baginda bertitah walaupun wanita Malaysia telah mencapai pelbagai kejayaan, masih banyak yang perlu dilakukan dalam memastikan peranan wanita diiktiraf sepenuhnya dalam membangunkan negara.
“Untuk benar-benar menghargai wanita dalam usaha membangunkan negara ini, kita mesti mengambil langkah proaktif bagi memanfaatkan potensi intelek yang tersembunyi dalam diri wanita.
“Laporan Indeks Jurang Gender Global oleh Forum Ekonomi Dunia bagi tahun 2022 meletakkan Malaysia di tangga ke-103 daripada 146 negara. Singapura berada di tangga ke-49, Thailand ke-79 dan Indonesia di kedudukan ke-92.
“Jika kita benar-benar mahu menghargai wanita dalam pembangunan negara, kita perlu mengejar kemajuan seperti negara jiran dan membuktikan bahawa suara serta pandangan wanita didengari di peringkat tertinggi, serta diambil kira dalam penggubalan dasar dan semua keputusan penting. Menghargai wanita dalam pembangunan negara bermakna memastikan suara kita didengari,” titah Raja Zarith Sofiah.
Baginda bertitah demikian semasa Sambutan Hari Wanita Kebangsaan ke-64 tahun 2025 yang dianjurkan oleh Majlis Kebangsaan Pertubuhan-Pertubuhan Wanita Malaysia (NCWO) di Kuala Lumpur, dengan tema “Menghargai Wanita dalam Pembangunan Negara”.
Baginda turut menzahirkan penghargaan kepada wira-wira harian wanita di seluruh Malaysia.
“Mereka yang membesarkan anak-anak, merawat warga emas dan yang sakit, bertungkus-lumus di ladang, menjalankan perniagaan, mendidik generasi, menjaga komuniti dan memastikan keluarga mereka memiliki rumah yang selesa.
“Mereka mungkin tidak selalu tercatat dalam buku sejarah kita, namun mereka memainkan peranan yang amat penting – tidak ramai lelaki yang mampu mencapai kejayaan tanpa pengorbanan seorang ibu atau isteri,” titah Baginda lagi.
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VOICES OF MALAYSIAN WOMEN MUST BE HEARD AND INCLUDED IN NATION-BUILDING POLICIES AND DECISIONS – QUEEN OF MALAYSIA
Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah, The Queen of Malaysia, has called on Malaysia to ensure that the voices of women are heard at the highest levels of policy and decision-making for the country.
The Queen said that despite all the achievements of Malaysian women, there is still a long way to go with regards to Malaysian women’s roles in nation-building.
“To truly value women in nation-building, we must take proactive measures to harness the latent intellectual potential of women.”
“The World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index in 2022 ranked Malaysia 103rd out of 146 countries, while Singapore ranked 49th, Thailand 79th and Indonesia 92nd.”
“If Malaysian women are to be truly valued in nation-building, we need to catch up with our neighbouring countries and prove that our voices and opinions are heard at the highest levels, and that women are included in policy-making, and indeed in all decisions. Valuing women in nation-building is about ensuring that our voices are heard,” said Raja Zarith Sofiah.
Her Majesty was speaking at the 64th National Women’s Day 2025 Celebration organised by the National Council of Women’s Organisations (NCWO) in Kuala Lumpur, which carried the theme “Valuing Women in Nation Building”.
The Queen also paid tribute to and acknowledged the countless everyday heroines of Malaysia.
“Those who are raising children, nursing the elderly and the sick, toiling in the fields, running businesses, educating generations, caring for communities and who make sure their families have comfortable homes.”
“They may not always appear in the pages of our history books, but they nevertheless play a most important role – very few men would have been able to be successful without the sacrifices of their mothers, or their wives,” said Her Majesty.