Rafidah leads International Women's Day plaudits

Former minister Rafidah Aziz has called on Malaysian women to recognise today as a day to be reminded of their strengths, capabilities and potential.

"It's not about our wanting to be equal to men [...] but always striving to be equal to be the best in whatever we do, in whatever capacity and wherever we are," said Rafidah, who served as a minister from 1980 to 2008.

"It is not about a gender war, nor is it about meeting 'quotas'.

"Every woman is a decision-maker every day of her life. Making decisions that impact her, her family, and the environment around her.

"It is really about combating negative and apathetic mindsets, negative and obsolete attitudes, and eradicating any form of obstacle and constraint that prevents women from achieving their best," she said in a Facebook post.

She ended by saying women should be the best they can, without glass ceilings and quota constraints.

The team of Mohamad Sabu and Liew Chin Tong, who served as defence and deputy defence ministers in the recent Pakatan Harapan administration lauded women, particularly those serving in the Malaysian Armed Forces and the Defence Ministry.

"Women are a pillar of national security and security. While the perception is that the military field is the world of men, many women actually play important roles in the defence arena.

"The perception that women cannot lift weapons has changed, and the country has seen many women become great fighter pilots.

"In fact, in today's technological world, fighting is not just on the battlefield but also on other fields that require diverse talents such as cyberspace as well as expertise such as medicine and engineering," said the pair in a joint statement.

"The participation of women in the military should be encouraged as women bring unique perceptions and experiences to consider in the process of determining the country's policy direction," they said.

Ex-prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad posted a short video wishing women well, saying that the situation for women was much better than it used to be.

"Both women and men must keep pushing until there is no discrimination any more against women," he said.

Former deputy prime ministers Anwar Ibrahim and Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail also appeared in a joint video wishing women a happy day.

"We accept the challenges to overcome stereotypes and discrimination against women," said Wan Azizah.