Spouses of Malaysian diplomats serving abroad should be allowed to work in the country of their posting, the Ladies Association of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Perwakilan) said today.

Its patron Siti Rubiah Abdul Samad, who is also the wife of Foreign Minister Anifah Aman, said flexibility should be given to those spouses who were now not allowed to work while abroad.

She said most of them had higher education or were professionals who were able to contribute to the country where their spouses were working.

"So it's a little waste of their skill when they go overseas and are not working," she told a news conference after launching the 'Course for Spouses of Heads of Mission' in Kuala Lumpur.

According to Wisma Putra's website, the country has a network of 102 diplomatic missions all over the world.

A total of 23 spouses are attending the five-day course at the Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Affairs Relations (IDFR).

Among the subjects to be discussed during the course are protocol matters, organising meetings, public speaking, social etiquette, leadership, stress management and personal grooming.

Rubiah said Perwakilan planned to submit a proposal on the matter to the ministry.

"Let's say that a developing country needs a doctor and one of the spouses is a doctor, she or he can contribute something to the host country," she said.

Perwakilan was established to encourage and foster cordial relations among wives of officers as well as lady officers of the Foreign Ministry based in Malaysia and also abroad.

At the function, she also presented a RM15,000 contribution from Perwakilan to PINK UNITY, an organisation under the auspices of the National Cancer Society of Malaysia whose goal is to unite women cancer survivors.

- Bernama