On January 2, 2012 a new state-initiated body emerged – the Penang Women’s Development Corporation (PWDC) – as the result of the Chief Minister's 2012 budget speech when the state announced it had tripled the budget for women’s development. In the space of four whirlwind months, the PWDC came into existence. No mean feat indeed, so how did this happen?
A little background
When Pakatan Rakyat took over the reins of the Penang state government after the March 8, 2008 General Elections, it was widely assumed that the various state departments would continue to work with the new state government. While most did, this was not the case with the Women’s Development Department (Jabatan Pembangunan Wanita) which withdrew its support both in terms of finance and personnel several months down the line. This left the state executive councilor for Youth and Sports, Women, Family and Community Development, Lydia Ong Kok Fooi, high and dry and with only RM200,000 from the state budget.
