By Tham Choy Lin
PUTRAJAYA, Oct 11 (Bernama) -- Malaysian women diplomats are often an unsung force but behind the scenes, their numbers are growing steadily and more are making it to the top rung as ambassadors.
The latest in the line that traces back to the much often mentioned Datuk P.G. Lim is a Kulim-born economics graduate who will head for the world's fifth largest country and one of the most watched global emerging market.
Meet V. Sudha Devi, career diplomat, wife and mother of two teenagers.
Sudha Devi received her letter of appointment from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on Oct 7 to replace the retired Datuk Ismail Mustapha as Malaysia's ambassador to Brazil which is gearing up to host the 2014 football World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games.
"I am honoured with the appointment, it's a big trust by the government. I am excited; there will be challenges because Brazil is a big player in Latin America and an emerging economic power in the world," said the 49-year-old envoy who has had postings to Switzerland, Singapore and Germany in her 23 years so far with Wisma Putra.
The first-time ambassador told Bernama her appointment underlined the equal opportunities for women in the Malaysian foreign service, which she joined in 1986 after undergoing the elite Administrative and Diplomatic Corps (PTD) training.
Debunking the perception that a career with Wisma Putra was for single or divorced women, Sudha Devi said there were many like her who had supportive spouses and juggled the job successfully with a family.
"I have my two children with me throughout my foreign postings but I would not have been able to do it without the support of my husband," she said, crediting spouse Art Thamboo, a former journalist turned media practitioner.
The Internet and Skype enabled their children, a son and a daughter, to speak to their father in Kuala Lumpur daily when they were abroad.
Women now make up a third of officers in the ministry and 15 per cent of the top posts in over 100 Malaysian missions and consulates worldwide, she added.
Currently, woman envoys are heading missions that include The Hague, Poland, Romania, Vietnam, Senegal and Croatia.
"The number of Malaysian woman ambassadors may seem small compared to those in some countries but this has nothing to do with a lack of opportunities. The foreign service here was very much male-dominated before but the number of women have more than doubled since I first came here," said Sudha Devi.
A former student of St Anne's Convent and Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Sultan Badlishah in Kulim, Sudha Devi takes to her new post a depth in multilateral and bilateral affairs and an economics degree from University Malaya.
"Unlike in the past when politics dominated, economic matters have become a key part of our duties to help boost trade for the country," said Sudha Devi.
For that, she is making it a priority to learn Portuguese, the dominant language in Brazil, to help her network and add to her knowledge of French and German.
Prior to Brazil, she was the deputy director-general of the Malaysian secretariat for Asean.
Sudha Devi had also served as second secretary at the Malaysia's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva, first secretary at the Malaysian High Commission in Singapore and minister counsellor with the Malaysian Embassy in Berlin.
During one of her home stints, she was dubbed the "Queen of Sheba", a nickname that still tickles her.
"I was handling the African desk for countries south of the Sahara and there were 42 countries, all under my watch," she said.
"But it has been good training, in Wisma, it is all about training. We are taught not only diplomatic skills but to hone our knowledge and adaptability for all kinds of situations," she said.
The Malaysian embassy in Brazil was established in 1981.
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