In a word
of changing times and trends, men have constanly created history - Albert
Einstein to Martin Luther King to Ghandi and many more.
But let us
not forget the women who have also made their marks in history - Florence
Nightingale, Margaret Thatcher, and Corazon Aquino.
Aside from
these famous figures, the women of today are contining to make inroads into
areas of society which were once mainly a male domain such as medicine, technology,
and engineering.
For Sarawak,
January 1999 brought about a minor reshuffling among the state's top civil
service positions. It is not an unusual event expect that this year heralds
the appointment of the first lady Permanent Secretary (PS) in the state government
- a position previously held only by men.
The first
lady PS in non other than Datin Hajah Zaharah Abang Haji Husaini, The Permanent
Secretary for the Ministry of Social Development.
Her duties
and reponsibilities are to assist the Ministry of Social Development in formulating
its vision and mission, and to ensure that the progress is in the desired
direction of the government.
Datin Siti's
style is to find the silver lining in each individual and nurture them. She
believes that in order to perform well in our tasks, be it at home or at work,
for men or women, it is important to see the micro and macro views - the minor
details and the overall picture.
During her
tenure, she hope to introduce a quality culture at the Ministry's level as
well as amongst all the agencies under the Ministry.
As one of
the first civil servant in the state to obtain the Lead/Auditor Assessor Certificate,
it is her fervent hope to see that the Ministry and all its agencies achieve
ISO certification eventually. But as she emphasised, the process towards that
goal needs the support and commitment of the staff.
Presently,
the Ministry of Social Development is under the able leadership of YB Datuk
Dr George Chan Hong Nam, and three assistant ministers each holding differents
portfolios, namely, Datin Paduka Hajah Sharifah Mordiah Tuanku Haji Fauzi
for Welfare and Women Affairs, Encik Dublin Unting ak Ingkor for Culture,
and Encik Joseph Entulu ak Belaun for Youth and Sports.
It is a challenging
tasks for Datin Hajah Siti Zaharah because is handling a Ministry with such
a wide scope and multiple functions.
The Ministry
is responsible for matters ranging from the cradle to the antiquities - cradle
because of its concerns for welfare, women, family and youth including sports
and culture; and antiquities because of its involvement with the preservation
works of the Sarawak Museum. Even the turtles fall under the purview of the
Ministry!
However,
Datin Siti welcomes the opportunity to contribute her knowledge and experience
in the Ministry, and ultimately serve the state and the public to the best
of her abilities.
