Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Malaysia

Government Won’t Enforce 30% Quota For Women MPs

Minister Wan Junaidi tells Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh that political parties are responsible for training and empowering women politicians.

Malaysia's Parliament. Photo by CEphoto, Uwe Aranas. https://buff.ly/2Q2bwMO

KUALA LUMPUR, March 3 – The government does not plan to legislate a quota to ensure that at least 30 per cent of Members of Parliament in Malaysia are women. 

Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh asked the prime minister in the Dewan Rakyat to state systemic plans or legislative changes to ensure a quota of minimum 30 per cent female representation in Parliament by the coming 15th general election.

“The government is very committed and supports all efforts to raise women’s leadership in various fields, including through the enactment and enforcement of legislation,” Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said in a written parliamentary reply on March 1.

“However, political parties in Malaysia need to take up their responsibility to play a more significant role in training, empowering, and giving opportunities to women politicians so that they can contribute as defenders of the people and movers in the country’s development.

“In this matter, the government welcomes any proposal or discussion in supporting and increasing women’s leadership at whichever level.”

In the 14th general election, only 33 women were elected, comprising about 15 per cent of the 222-seat Parliament.

You May Also Like

World

Online sexual violence can be deadly. A landmark new Indonesian law is a promising start, but doesn’t go far enough to stamp it out.

World

Tech has a role in helping protect women from abusive men, but it's not a cure-all.

Malaysia

The Asian Girls in Action Project seeks to educate and unearth the talents and capabilities of the younger generation and build a more compassionate...

World

The UN has tried tackling conflict-related sexual violence for more than two decades, but its “add-women-and-stir” approach doesn’t go far enough.