Everyone needs to be on board to push for a bigger representation of women in political leadership. - Filepic
FOR there to be gender balance in the political arena, there needs to be greater political will, says Puteri Umno (Kuala Pilah division) information chief Nur Dinie Fadil.
"Without political will, it will be tough to achieve gender equality in politics," she says, acknowledging that mainstream political parties are male-dominated with little avenues for women to break the glass ceiling.
Nur Dinie says that she was confronted with stereotypical gender roles with people asking her how she was going to look after her child and be in politics at the same time. - NUR DINIE FADIL
In the 15th General Election (GE15) in 2022, despite informal commitments of parties to field at least 30% women, the reality fell short of the goal. Only 13% of the candidates fielded were women: 187 women compared to 1,199 men contested for the 222 parliamentary seats (as well as the Perlis, Perak and Pahang state seats, and the Bugaya state by-election in Sabah).
According to political analyst Assoc Prof Dr Sharifah Syahirah Syed Sheikh, although meritocracy is often brought up in discussions about the lack of female representation in politics, the real issue at hand is the stereotypes and discrimination against women.
"One reason why it’s hard to increase the number of female candidates is not because of the women leaders’ credibility itself, but because of internal party politics, which is male-dominated."Our mindset is still masculine-centric and looks at male traits as being better than female,” she said when interviewed by The Star post GE15. She pointed out that political parties which were less dominated by men had successfully fielded more women candidates.
However, the candidacy of Law Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said in Umno's vice presidency race at the party polls last year is a significant milestone as it marked the first time a woman ran for a top party post.
Azalina's candidacy in Umno's vice presidency race at the party polls last year is a significant milestone as it marked the first time a woman ran for a top party post. - Filepic
"It wasn't easy and there were comments like 'Boleh, ke?' when she announced her candidacy. However, throughout the campaign, the reception she got was encouraging. And though she didn't win, she got 77 votes which was just 30-odd short of Tan Sri Johari (Abdul Ghani). I think it was good especially seeing that only five out of the 191 Umno divisions are led by women. To get that much support in a hugely male-dominated space is a positive sign that attitudes may be changing," says Nur Dinie, who cites Azalina as her mentor in politics.
It also bears mentioning that Azalina, who has been an MP since 2004, has been vocal on many issues, including divisive ones like the rights of Malaysian mothers to confer their nationality to children born abroad to foreign fathers, and she is also chair of the special select committee on women's affairs, children and social development in parliament.
Nur Dinie hopes that the former Deputy Speaker's candidacy will also encourage more women in Umno to negotiate their space within the party and push personal boundaries.
"In such a patriarchal system, women lack the confidence to contest for these posts because they know what they will face if and when they do. But I see some change, with women propping each other up more," says Nur Dinie.
Having more women in the country's leadership is important because, the higher numbers of women in politics – in parliament and/or in party leadership – translates to more attention to not just women's issues but also issues that affect the community, children, senior citizens and vulnerable groups, according to numerous studies.
"Women's political participation is a fundamental prerequisite for gender equality and genuine democracy. It facilitates women's direct engagement in public decision-making and is a means of ensuring better accountability to women," says UN Women.
And, seeing more women at the top will encourage young women and girls to know about politics and perhaps put their hats in too for the betterment of society.
For Datuk Mumtaz Md Nawi, who is Pas MP for Tumpat, Kelantan, the participation of women in political leadership is a must because 50% of our electorate are women.
"We must represent the entire population, not just half. The needs of men and women are different and so we need women leaders who voice the concerns of women so that our specific needs are not undermined. Issues like period (poverty) and reproductive health are important issues that men will not be able to fight for women adequately. Also, the discrimination against women in the workplace," she says.
