Opposition parties

will field their highest number of women candidates in the general election with a total of 31 among them, compared to 12 in 1999.

Based on the preliminary information, this is an increase of 158 percent - mainly due to PAS' decision to end a 22-year-drought and send 10 women candidates into the fray for parliamentary and state seats. The last time a woman candidate represented the Islamic party was in 1978.

Keadilan, which fielded only five women candidates in 1999, will be place 11 women on the campaign trail nationwide.

DAP, which has a tradition of sending in women candidates, expects to have 10 women contestants this time around, compared to seven in 1999 - four of whom won.

'Credible leaders'

PAS Dewan Muslimat (women's wing) information chief Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud told malaysiakini that the women candidates comprise a mix of religious teachers and professionals.

She said the candidates will stand in five states - four in Selangor, two each in Kelantan and Kedah, and one each in Johor and Perak.

"There is no safe seat for us... well, except maybe in Kelantan. Like our male colleagues, the Muslimat candidates will have to fight very hard to win votes," she said.

Siti Mariah refused to divulge the identities of the candidates and their constituencies, only saying that those included are credible leaders who form "the major force" of the wing.

However, sources revealed that the line-up will include Muslimat chief Kalthom Othman, deputy Dr Lo' Lo' Mohd Ghazali ( photo ), Siti Mariah, and Selangor Muslimat head Wan Hasrina Wan Hasan.

Kalthom is to stand in the Pasir Puteh state seat in Kelantan, while Lo' Lo' is expected to run in the Bukit Gantang parliamentary seat in Perak.

Siti Mariah is likely to be among the three professionals contesting in Selangor, in the Kota Raja parliamentary seat, while businesswoman Wan Hasrina may run in Ampang, Dr Halimah Ali in Klang, and engineer Mastura Mohamad in Seri Setia state (Selangor) seat.

Asked about PAS' main agenda for women, Siti Mariah said: " We intend to be very vocal in Parliament to fight for women's interests (to be heard)."

Equal role

Keadilan Wanita chief Fuziah Salleh said the women candidates in the party's line-up consists mainly of young professionals among who are doctors, lawyers and a journalist.

"Most are Wanita leaders....others do not hold party posts, but we feel that they have a good change of winning."

"Unlike (counterparts in) other political parties, we do not play a supporting role to male colleagues. Women leaders are at every level of the party. In our supreme council alone, there are eight women leaders led by president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail."

She said the women candidates would be distributed evenly in Selangor, Malacca, Johor, Penang, Kedah, Pahang and Sabah (where four women candidates are to be fielded).

"We hope more of them will win because only one - Wan Azizah - of the five women candidates won during the last election," she said.

"Wan Azizah will be defending her Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat. All except Marina Yusoff (who has retired from politics) who lost the last time are set to run again...but I cannot reveal their constituencies."

The four include Fuziah herself, Salma Ismail and Zainun Jaafar who lost in the Kuantan (Pahang parliamentary), Batu Uban (Penang state) and Bukit Asahan (Malacca state) seat respectively.

The new faces are lecturer Animah Annete Ferrar (Kota Anggerik state seat) and former journalist Susan Loone (Batu Uban state seat), lecturer Rohana Arifin (Balik Pulau state) and lawyer Christina Liew (Kota Kinabalu parliamentary and Luyang state seats).

Watch on male MPs

DAP Wanita chief Chong Eng said the party has added three woman candidates to seven who contested in 1999.

The 10 candidates will contest in Perak (three), Johor, Negri Sembilan and Pahang (two each) and Penang, Malacca and Federal Territory (one each).

The fresh faces are expected to include the party's Youth executive committee members Leong Ooi Kuan and Susann Chan.

Chong said the women leaders who won in 1999 will be allowed to defend their seats. This will see Chong herself ( photo, right ) in Bukit Mertajam (parliamentary), central executive member Teresa Kok ( photo, left) in Seputeh (parliamentary), national executive member Fong Poh Kuan in Batu Gajah (parliamentary) and Betty Chew in Durian Daun (Malacca state).

Chong said the need to field women candidates is unquestionable considering that the opposition ranks were had only four elected women elected representatives after the last outing.

"The four us - three DAP and one from Keadilan - have managed to raise a lot issues. So the more women opposition representatives, the better it will be for the people," she added.

"We hope that a stronger force will help keep male parliamentarians from making sexist remarks about women. We intend to increase our efforts to educate men to be more gender sensitive in Parliament, even if this means telling off those who misbehave."