‘Bursa, SC must play role as monitoring body in diversity policy implementation’

by **Cals** Thu 10 Apr 2014, 13:39

Business & Markets 2014

Written by theedgemalaysia.com

Thursday, 10 April 2014 10:17

KUALA LUMPUR: The government yesterday proposed that Bursa Malaysia Bhd and the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) play the role of a monitoring body in the implementation of the diversity policy in the leadership and top management of private companies.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar said the move was needed to encourage more private companies to practise this policy in helping the government with its efforts to attract more professionals to return to Malaysia.

He said in 2013, TalentCorp Malaysia Bhd succeeded in bringing 900 local professionals back to the country.

“From the survey that we carried out, we found that most companies [private] already have good diversity [policy] in terms of ethnicity, however, at the management level, the diversity can be improved.

“So, I hope the private sector will give more opportunities to the bumiputera, women and the young generation in an effort to implement diversity at the management level,” he told reporters after a closed-door dialogue here between Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and 50 corporate leaders from public-listed companies and government-linked investment companies, organised by the SC and the Economic Planning Unit.

Abdul Wahid said private companies generally welcomed the policy and most of them are already practising diversity.

Yet, he said, there are still companies who do not inform the government of its implementation.

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on April 10, 2014.