'Don't depend on rich boyfriend or husband' - Women Minister

SHAH ALAM – Envision the corridors of power teeming with activity. Now, imagine a radiant beacon piercing through the solemnity – that is the country’s Women, Family, and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri.

Nancy possesses a heart as vast as her responsibilities, emerging as a champion for families nationwide. She ardently advocates for domestic causes and the betterment of our entire nation. For Nancy, the cornerstone of everything lies within the family unit.

Recognising that a strong nation stems from sturdy households, she places significant emphasis on fortifying familial bonds. However, Nancy's dedication transcends her own doorstep.

Tirelessly, she labours to elevate all, ensuring every voice resonates and every family's needs are met. True leadership, she believes, lies in serving the people you care about.

“As a leader, I know what my priorities are. So, for me, my main priority is still my children, my family. However, to have a very good family and good children who will live happily, I must work.

"To secure a comfortablelife, I supported my husband in earning income by initially working myself and eventually I transitioned to entrepreneurship to have more flexibility and control over my time,” she said.

She opened up about how she worked to have a comfortable life instead of depending on only her husband as the breadwinner for the family, and this was what she taught her daughter: “Do not depend on some rich boyfriend or husband.”

Just like the women in the country, Nancy wanted her daughter to be strong and independent so that women could plan for their own future and take care of themselves and their family.

It was more than being able to be there for the children, she said, but it also meant that mothers would be able to provide for them too.

Aside from her family, Nancy outlined that her constituency was her second priority and she always made sure that she would be with the people every week to ensure that she could help them with their needs.

"Now, as a politician, I balance the responsibilities of my constituency with my family commitments. I make it a point to return to Sarawak almost every weekend to ensure my constituents receive the attention they deserve.

“I need to go on the ground because the thing, is you cannot just work from the desk. You need to be there to understand the situation fully,” she added.

"In essence, my priorities revolve around family, constituency, and ministry," she told Sinar Daily.

On her dedication to the ministry, Nancy would review long-standing traditions that might have stagnated progress and dismantled them with steady reforms, determined to improve their effectiveness.

“Empowering women is a cause close to my heart,” she said.

This could be seen when Nancy championed the plight of women including abuse cases, aid for upcoming entrepreneurs under the ministry's purview and educated women trapped by childcare, demanding investment to break these invisible chains.

During a cabinet meeting, her voice rang with conviction as she spoke of the causes for women including countless women forced to choose between career and family due to the country's working system and infrastructure which have yet to support working mothers.

Her suggested initiatives to the Prime Minister, though not fully mirrored yet, planted a seed of hope but the fight for women's empowerment, she knew, was far from over.