Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said his government has always prioritised the interests of women as they have contributed immensely to the country’s development.

The PM was quoted by local media as speaking at an event with Malaysian women media practitioners on July 15 that last year, the Malaysian Government agreed to establish the National Women’s Council, the National Women's Executive Committee and state women’s working committees to empower women’s roles at the federal and state levels. 
 
Meanwhile, the Securities Commission has also amended its listing requirement to make it mandatory for all public-listed companies to appoint at least one female director. The PM said beginning September 1, all major companies with market capitalisation of 2 million RM, or over 447,000 USD (as of Dec 31, 2021) will implement this requirement, while for other companies this will be enforced on June 1, 2023.

He added that to date, as many as 210 out of 900 private companies have more than 30% women sitting on their board of directors

On women media practitioners, Ismail Sabri said the group plays an important role and the government needs their support to disseminate accurate information to the people.

At the event, the prime minister approved a fund of 300,000 RM for PERTAMA activities and said he hopes the association will help the government enhance the level of professionalism in national journalism./.
VNA