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25 Opinion/Letters maltatoday, SUNDAY, 20 OCTOBER 2013 Claudine Cassar I announce the true winner – Malala! M alala Yousafzai is a symbol of courage and perseverance. Starting from the tender age of 11 she was already making her voice heard as an activist speaking out against the tyranny of those who wanted to shackle women by denying them a right to education. There is no doubt that Malala is a product of her family – clearly she would not have been able to do what she has done without the support and active encouragement of her father, however this does not diminish her achievement and courage in any way. She stuck her neck out of the parapet and made her voice heard in a country where speaking up most often results in death. Malala knew that she was putting her life in danger. I have a daughter who is one year younger than Malala was when she started writing a blog for the BBC. Girls that age are mature enough to understand that actions have consequences. She started off writing anonymously, but as the power of her message grew, she went public with her name, and her face became known throughout Pakistan and indeed the world. There is no doubt that Malala and her family knew that it was just a matter of time until the Taliban reacted – something which came to pass one year ago, when the girl was going home in a school bus. When her would-be assassins boarded the bus, Malala did not try to hide her identity. In order to draw attention away from her friends she spoke up: "I am Malala". The Taliban 'warriors' shot the teenager in the head and neck and left her for dead. The fact that she is still alive today is not due to any compassion shown to her by the Taliban. She survived solely because of her strength of will and because of the international backlash to the assassination attempt, which led to international medical assistance being made available immediately. One year down the line, after countless surgeries and painful therapy, Malala rose from her sickbed to resume her work, speaking up for girls all over the world who want to break free of the shackles of ignorance and bigotry. The whole world was waiting with bated breath for this young woman to be honoured this month, one year after she survived the attempt on her life. We were all waiting for the news that Malala had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. However, instead the prize went to an organisation, not the young woman who inspired the whole world with her bravery and generosity. The decision to award the prize to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons baffled people all over the world. It is true that this organisation recently helped Barack Obama save face when it came to Syria, but surely that should not be the basis for such an award? It is clear that the award committee in Oslo marches to the beat of a different drum when it comes to awarding the Nobel Prize. The decisions they make have become Time magazine cover girl and Nobel nominee Malala Yousafzi increasingly political as the years go by. After all what can be more political (and ridiculous) than the decision to award Barack Obama the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009? What had Obama contributed to world peace at the time? In fact, I actually question whether even now, four years down the line, Barack Obama has made any contribution to world peace at all. The Nobel awarding committee had a wonderful opportunity. By awarding the prize to Malala they could have stood firm with her against the abuse and subjugation of women in many Muslim countries. They would have sent out a strong message against violence and against those who use threats to stifle the voices of those who speak up in favour of change. Giving the award to Malala would have encouraged women who are struggling to cope with the restrictions placed on them by society: those who want to go to school but are not allowed to do so; those who want to choose their own life partner but are forced into marriages to strangers; those who want to work but are not allowed out of the house unchaperoned; those who are told that they are inferior, solely because they are not men. It would have shown these women that they are not alone in their struggles and that the world cares about their plight. It would also have shown those who abuse their position of power in society that the world is watching. Malala did not win the Nobel Prize, but I believe she is still the winner. Malala has inspired a generation of young women into action, showing them that change is indeed possible and that the world does care. She might not have taken the prize money home with her, but she should know that in homes all over the world, including homes such as mine in Malta, mothers are telling their daughters about her and discussing with them the importance of speaking up for their rights. I am in awe of Malala Yousafzai. It is hard to believe that a 16-yearold girl from a remote valley in Pakistan had the power to shake the conservative foundations of the Muslim world – but she has done so. The Nobel committee might not have noticed – but the rest of the world sure has. Claudine Cassar is the Managing Director of Alert Communications Ltd CHECK OUT CLAUDINE CASSAR'S LATEST COLUMNS ON http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/blogs Send your letters to: The Editor, MaltaToday, MediaToday Ltd. Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 | Fax: (356) 21 385075 E-mail: newsroom@mediatoday.com.mt. Letters to the Editor should be concise. No pen names are accepted. MIM's case in favour of more women on boards I refer to Claudine Cassar's comments of Sunday, 13 October, concerning my views as President of the Malta Institute of Management regarding the much desired and appreciated presence and contribution of women in management and on boards. Miss Cassar certainly misread my arguments and criticised the endeavours of the MIM obviously without knowing what the Institute is doing in actual fact. What I said in my brief statement about women on boards related to the EU proposed directive was as follows: "The Malta Institute of Management notes with satisfaction that the issue of women on boards is increasingly being given due attention. "As regards the issue of quotas, the MIM is of the opinion that, considering that to date there is no appropriate data available on how many women are on boards, neither private nor public (with the exception of listed PLCs), one should be cautious about soliciting the introduction of quotas for women in leadership positions. "The Institute strongly believes that the focus should be, primarily, on incentivising women and, at the same time, rendering the general work atmosphere more adaptable to the needs of both men and women, also ensuring that all will be able to perform more and better together. "If we learn to capture properly personal needs and match them adequately with the needs of business, then we have a winning formula in hand in this regard. Indeed, the way forward should be that of understanding the needs on both sides of the fence and responding to them properly. "Getting women on board means, among other things, that one has to open up for board meetings in a non-traditional way. However, generally speaking this does not appear to be a problem nowadays. What is surely a problem is the selection process. "In the case of public companies, people are generally nominated by the shareholders. Men work a lot on lobbying in this context, but women not so much. This calls for more networking by women. Successful women in Malta, who are experts in networking and are reaping the benefits of such networking, can surely contribute a lot towards providing the necessary education and persuasion, including regarding male attitudes. "In private companies, there seems to be a higher presence of women on boards but, unfortunately, for the wrong reason. In fact, many women are appointed directors for reasons of convenience. The circumstances of certain cases are far from convincing. As things are, an illiterate person may end up a director, even if the person concerned is not able to understand the responsibilities s/he must shoulder. This is something that led the Institute of Directors and the MIM to call for better diligence in the process leading to the appointment of directors, in all circumstances. "The Malta Institute of Management is moreover convinced that as regards women in management, there must initially be a culture change. "The challenge is far from easy. We must therefore start with the younger generations. They must be educated and trained in a new way. There should not be any room, for instance, for textbooks were the role of the male is directly or indirectly presented as more important than that of the female. Textbooks should show man and woman on equal footing. Moreover, as regards girls' schools, entrepreneurship should be one of the most important subjects. Regrettably, to date such a step forward is still awaited. "We feel the new Minister for Education would agree that it is indeed important to take such vital factors into considerations. We hope that he would also agree that the time is ripe for his Ministry to urgently take the initiative towards the formulation of a plan in this regard, and solicit the necessary finance to put it into practice. We must indeed start the ball rolling. The next Budget offers a good opportunity to make the first steps. "Meanwhile, the political parties and the media have a significant role to play too. Political parties must truly and effectively promote women in leadership, while the media could give much better attention to female participation in leading roles and their success stories." It is a pity Ms Cassar failed to understand the true message in what I said. The MIM has been organising various activities aimed precisely at promoting female participation. For a number of years now, we are striving to bring up constructive discussions analysing true situations. Indeed, the MIM has been asked to organise the same type of activities it did in Malta both in Brussels and the UK. The invitation came through women's organisations, all of which lauded our style and way of discussions. The Institute has also organised other activities such as Mothers in Management and Parents in Management. Furthermore, it has a chapter for Women in Management. The commitment of the MIM towards promoting women in management and on boards has never been as strong as it is today. Reuben Buttigieg President Malta Institute of Management YOUR FIRST CLICK OF THE DAY www.maltatoday.com.mt