Seberang Perai City Council Prevail for Inclusivity
Dato’ Azhar Bin Haji Arshad, Mayor of Seberang Perai City Council, Penang, Malaysia
Inclusivity is a powerful term that positively impacts society, in ways of fostering a great place to live in and could bring benefits to all. Therefore, good governance of a local government is a necessity for a city to reach this initiative.
The Seberang Perai City Council, Penang, Malaysia is a clear example for it. Gender Responsive and Participatory Initiatives (GRPI) session was presented by Dato’ Azhar Bin Haji Arshad, the Mayor of Seberang Perai City Council, Penang, Malaysia. One of Mr. Arshad’s missions is to create a livable city. In relation to GRPB, Penang city’s initiative is to identify the needs of different people through the involvement of various communities. The goal is to ensure that the city budget allocation is as inclusive as possible in order to adequately address various needs.
In 2021, the city council rolled out the Gender Inclusiveness Policy Action Plan 2021 – 2030. This detailed plan documents incorporates the principles of gender equality and social justice so that fundamental rights can be enjoyed by people of various genders, ethnicities, and backgrounds in Seberang Perai City. This document will also function as an effort to carry out inclusive budgeting for the policy, programmes, and practices of the Seberang Perai City Council.
Dato’ Azhar Bin Haji Arshad also described GRPB as a tool to mainstream gender budgeting in city development to achieve good governance. The Seberang Perai City Council has held a Town Hall Budget dialogue session to compile comprehensive data collection, where the collected data will support better and more informed policies in the government. As a local government, the Seberang Perai City Council has set an excellent example for other local government institutions to take matters such as mainstreaming gender budgeting into action. As local governments are in charge of the public funds’ allocation, it became essential for local governments to understand all aspects of GRPB, allowing for more effective and efficient budgets, policies, and public resources allocation.
Dedication and Leadership of Mrs. Jayakanth Towards the Future of Sri Lanka
Mrs. Anushiya Jayakanth, Councillor Velanai Pradeshiya Sabaha, Chairperson of Women Councillors Network, Jaffna District Sri Lanka
A person’s dedication, determination, and sense of leadership can have a significant impact on the development of a city. Mrs. Anushiya Jayakanth , for example, is a 35-year-old woman, a mother of two, a wife, and the chairperson of the Women Councillors Network in Jaffna District, Sri Lanka. She has held various positions in the community-level organisations in her village and the district levels. She has actively contributed to several urban development projects such as raising environmental concerns, among other things.
Since 2018, Mrs. Jayakanth has been passionately conducting activities with the city council to improve the community’s welfare, particularly for women to fulfil their needs. She had made challenging efforts to “beautify” the city and maximising local efforts to improve their livelihood. She told the audience how one of the World Bank-funded was aimed at modernising the shopping area by replacing some old buildings with new ones. She finished her presentation hoping that public officials could continue to support a certain funding to continue some of the delayed projects she involved in. Mrs. Jayakanth also emphasised that she will keep improving collaborations and partnerships with different stakeholders to bring many other issues to her district and other parts of Sri Lanka. With her work history, it is essential to realise that women, as much the same as men, can handle projects, give advocacy, and take leading roles in urban development and public service enhancement aspects. This became a call for local governments to recognise that gender-responsive and participatory budgeting in public service is a way to engage women in decision-making and achieve gender equality.
By KM Team
