Enact law to ensure 30pct Dewan seats reserved for women – Harapan leader

Pakatan Harapan Women’s chief Aiman Athirah Sabu has urged for the law to be changed so that 30 percent of parliamentary seats will be allocated to women candidates.

She said political parties were taking too much time in establishing the minimum quota for women candidates.

Aiman (above) also suggested implementing a special incentive scheme to reward political parties that achieved a 30 percent threshold of women candidates and urged the cabinet to deliberate on it.

"I understand it requires a process. However, this must begin immediately as it has already taken far too long," the deputy housing and local government minister was quoted as saying by Free Malaysia Today.

There are 28 female representatives in Parliament, which amounts to 13.5 percent of the body.

Out of the 31 cabinet ministers, five are women - Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said; Women, Family and Community Development Minister Nancy Shukri; Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh; Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa.

On that note, Aiman proposed that the Elections Act be amended to include a provision requiring a minimum of 30 percent of women candidates and that parties which fail to do so be disqualified from competing.

The government should also provide grants and incentives to strengthen the women’s wings of political parties, the Sepang MP added, expressing confidence that the proposal would succeed under the unity government led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

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