KUALA LUMPUR: The role of women in leadership should be determined by merit and not by gender, said Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
He said if someone is qualified for a job, regardless of whether they are a man or a woman, that individual deserves the responsibility, and merit must come first.
“The level of society must be able to accept a woman as leader. You know, there is a bias here.
“To accept a woman as a leader, you break that hurdle, then it is no longer gender bias, and it depends on the performance of that individual,” he said.
He said this during the Leading ASEAN Sustainability and Digitalisation Session at the ASEAN Women Economic Summit (AWES) today.
Abang Johari also noted that in the context of Asia’s culture, it may take some time for women to hold leadership roles.
Citing examples of strong female leadership in Asia, he said Indira Gandhi in India and Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan are proof that acceptance and change is possible.
“Why not the rest of ASEAN? It is a question of society, and Sarawak itself, we are moving in that direction,” he said.
Highlighting developments at home, Abang Johari said Sarawak has already appointed women to key positions within the state administration.
“Our Deputy State Financial Secretary is a woman, our Auditor-General is a woman, and even some of our community leaders are women,” he said.
However, he admitted there are challenges when women take up leadership roles as they later decide to focus on family, especially after marriage or childbirth.
“Even if you’re working from home, your baby might be crying in the background. It affects productivity. These are real challenges we must address.
“If we can sort of solve this hurdle, maybe technology will come in to do the job. Maybe one day, a robot can be next to you; you look after the baby, then the robot assists you in your work,” he said.
He added that the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into everyday tasks could potentially bridge the productivity gap, especially for working mothers.
“Once AI is embedded in machines, they can perform the work, and all you need to do is check for accuracy,” he said.
Meanwhile, the two-day inaugural AWES 2025, which began on Saturday, was held on the sidelines of the 46th ASEAN Summit, held under Malaysia’s 2025 chairmanship.
Themed ‘Empowering Women, Energising ASEAN: Pioneering Economic Integration for a Resilient Tomorrow’, AWES highlighted the urgent need to position women at the forefront of ASEAN’s economic transformation, particularly in addressing current challenges such as global tariff wars, digital transformation, and sustainable development.
