COMMENT | Women's issues are political issues

COMMENT | It is absolutely appalling that not a single party has offered at least 30 percent women candidates in the upcoming Sabah state election. Only 43 out of the 447 candidates contesting in the upcoming Sabah elections are women. Only voters from 32 constituencies have the chance to vote for a woman candidate.

Let's not kid ourselves here. Clearly, women's issues have not only been demoted and pushed down the priority ladder but in the hearts and minds of politicians, it appears to have been taken off the ladder altogether.

For so long, women's issues have been chucked away as "domestic affairs," best settled at home behind closed doors - as discreetly as possible. Oh, and even if things are not being "settled" quite as "discreetly," the thing to do is to pretend you don't hear or see anything.

That is exactly what politicians are doing - pretending that they don't hear or see anything.

The issues faced by women are not new. Quite honestly, those who complain about these issues are just as fed up as those who are sick of hearing about these issues. These issues remain unresolved because that is how long politicians have kept sweeping them under the carpet.

Well, you know what? Generations of sweeping things under the carpet has created a hump and it is time that politicians realise that if they don't resolve it, it can and will make you trip and fall.

The big elephant in the room that everyone appears to completely ignore is the very fact that women's issues are political issues. They affect not only the wellbeing of the home, but directly and in every way, the socio-economic conditions of half the population and the political fate of the country.

Which brings us back to the upcoming Sabah elections.

Voices on the ground are disappointed that so few women were offered seats despite an ample number being both willing and qualified. There is a hopelessness they feel for their suffering to be heard.

If the politicians do not consider gender-based violence and discrimination as something that causes serious immediate and long-term harm, then what compels the authorities to act when women are abused?

And if the authorities will not do something when women are harmed, what makes you think the penghulu kampung will?

And with no one in power on the side of women, how can we stop the damage that she faces every day, right this minute, and for many minutes and days to come?

Political will

Women in Sabah are at a loss on who they should vote for. Going into the elections, 100 percent of the candidates rely on women's votes. But with less than 10 percent of women in candidates representation, how many of them actually have women's issues on their agenda?

And no, women cannot wait until you are elected before you "act" on women's issues. They need you to act now.

Candidates must demonstrate their commitment to women's issues by declaring their stand on crucial issues affecting them in every aspect of their campaigns. Women in education. Women in healthcare. Women-owned businesses. Women at home. Women on board directorships. These are just some of the places where gender-neutral policies have failed to recognise systemic barriers to women's advancement. These are just some places where gender-sensitive solutions must be enacted and implemented.

To remedy the cluelessness that politicians have about women's issues in these and other areas, they must engage openly with women's groups. They must be honest with themselves in recognising that they are part of both the problem and the solution.

Critically, politicians must demonstrate political will by acting now. This will be key to inviting women's votes in the Sabah elections.

And why is the Sabah polls important to women in other states? The issues faced by the women in Sabah are neither new nor unique to us. These are things which any woman can resonate with and experience even here in the peninsula.

What needs to be brought to the foreground is how the issues (and solutions) faced by Sabahan women can also improve the conditions for women in other states instead of the seemingly wasted opportunity to make things better.

MAJIDAH HASHIM is a human rights defender. She can be reached via Twitter at @majidahhashim

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.

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