analysis

After Malaya gained independence, more women became politically inspired. This was partly due to their educational achievements which created a new class of women who was more responsive and sensitive to their surroundings and the country's need.

The interest and participation in politics did not grow simultaneously among the women of the different ethnic groups. For instance, from 1957 to 1969, it was exclusively the Malay women who were involved in the political field although it was only to a limited degree.

The Kaum Ibu (the then women's wing) was still merely auxiliary to the United Malay National Organisation or Umno, playing the supportive role. It had only three representatives on the Umno supreme council as the prejudice of traditional Malay socio-political culture was still prevalent. The members of Kaum Ibu were not consulted on important political issues which were the mainstay of the men.

The Pan Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) had also by now set up a women's section, the Dewan Muslimat, which had 3,000 members by 1967. However, just like Kaum Ibu, it remained a supportive and essentially subordinate political auxiliary.

As for the Chinese and Indian women, there were rarely any bids made by the Malaysian Chinese Association or MCA and the Malaysian Indian Congress or MIC to start a women's section during this intermediate period from 1957 to 1970.

The New Economic Policy provided greater opportunities for Malay women to be educated in institutions of higher learning and this led to some notable changes within Kaum Ibu.

For instance, the leadership of Kaum Ibu was gradually taken over by younger and more educated women through the support given by male leaders who recognised the urgency for women to be actively involved in the politics and progress of the Malay people. The name Kaum Ibu was also changed to Wanita Umno.

Women sections

Women of the other ethnic groups soon realised that they were left out of the political movement. To ensure that their rights were also guarded, women sections were set up in the respective political parties.

In July 1972, the Wanita MCA was formed with Rosemary Chong as its first chairperson and on July 6 1975, Wanita MIC was established with Meenambal Arumugal as its leader.

One can say that women today have made much progress in the political arena in terms of indirect participation. Women are now more systematic in their demands for political rights. In addition, there are now three women ministers in the cabinet, compared to only one in the first Malaysian cabinet.

Historically, the public arena of politics has always been monopolised by men. The beginning of women's mass participation in Malaysia sprouted only after the Second World War as an off-shoot of the anti-colonial, nationalist movement.

Two prominent groups were the Angkatan Wanita Sedar (Awas), formed in 1946, and the Kaum Ibu, organised in 1949.

Awas was led by the left-wing members of the Malay Nationalist Party. Among its objectives is to make Malay women more aware of their political rights. Its leaders include Shamsiah Fakir, Sakinan Junid and Zainab Baginda.

Awas succeeded in securing support from women of the peasantry as well as the rural aristocracy. However, its growing strength was suppressed by the colonial administration and consequently it was banned. Internal conflict among its members led to its final disintegration.

Nurturing role

The other group was the Kaum Ibu. It started off as a women's voluntary association, fundamentally as a mother's club and played a supportive role to the men in the nationalist movement. It, therefore, did not concentrate on women's political issues and strived to intensify Malay women's nurturing role as good mothers and home-makers.

However, with encouragement from male leaders who envisioned the strategic advantage of involving mass participation by women, Kaum Ibu changed its name to Wanita Umno, hence converting into a full-fledged women's political organisation.

It has stretched its objectives as well as its spectrum to include non-married women members. However, it must be noted that it was accorded a rank which was equal to the male Youth wing of Umno but secondary to the men's wing. This status quo remains unchanged to the present day.

Both Awas and Kaum Ibu impressed the British colonial administration that they were a political force to be reckoned with through their active supportive role in rallying mass support during the nationalist movement and later in the struggle for independence. They were also active campaigners and faithful voters in the first national elections.

During this time, women from the other ethnic groups were not politically active other than taking part in anti-Japanese underground movement and pro-communist insurgencies.

It was only as recent as the early 1970s that Chinese and Indian women formed the women's wing of MCA and MIC respectively.

Women's organisations of the other political parties like Wanita Gerakan, Wanita DAP (Democratic Action Party), and the women's section of PAS were also formed during this period.

NASH RAHMAN is a senior analyst in Strategic Analysis Malaysia (SAM). SAM's subscription-based website has more information, facts and figures, dossiers and analyses of women in Malaysian politics.