The Star
At the Parliament lobby, the women MPs caucus also called for more women to participate in politics, saying that currently, only 10% of elected representatives were women while the quota had been fixed at 30%.
“There are still very few women in politics, even fewer at decision-making levels.
“There are only two women ministers in the Cabinet,” Chong pointed out.
She also welcomed the RM100,000 grant provided by the United States to women’s group Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor or Empower for a project to encourage women in Selangor to participate more in both local and national politics.
Backbencher Nancy Shukri, who is also head of the caucus, urged young women to join a political participation workshop which would be held from Dec 9 to 12 in Sepang.
Empower executive director Maria Chin Abdullah said for more than two decades, women’s participation in Parliament remained at 10% and between 6% and 7% in state assemblies.
In comparison, women’s participation in Parliament in Singapore was 24.5% and 20.5% in the Philippines, 11.7% in Thailand and 11.6% in Indonesia.
Former Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said the 30% quota for women’s participation in politics was inadequate.
THE Gender Equality Commission is to be set up, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Abd Aziz said.
In his reply to Chong Eng (DAP-Bukit Mertajam), he pledged to find a way to set up such a commission.
“Gender is an important issue and I will find a way to work it out. I have checked and there is no sub-committee for gender under the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam).
“This can be set up to protect the interests of all women, including old women like you,” he told Chong during the question and answer session.
This prompted Chong, who had earlier asked Nazri about upholding justice and improving gender equality in the country, to quip that the minister should also not “forget about protecting the interests of the young.”
In his reply to Chong Eng (DAP-Bukit Mertajam), he pledged to find a way to set up such a commission.
“Gender is an important issue and I will find a way to work it out. I have checked and there is no sub-committee for gender under the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam).
“This can be set up to protect the interests of all women, including old women like you,” he told Chong during the question and answer session.
This prompted Chong, who had earlier asked Nazri about upholding justice and improving gender equality in the country, to quip that the minister should also not “forget about protecting the interests of the young.”
At the Parliament lobby, the women MPs caucus also called for more women to participate in politics, saying that currently, only 10% of elected representatives were women while the quota had been fixed at 30%.
“There are still very few women in politics, even fewer at decision-making levels.
“There are only two women ministers in the Cabinet,” Chong pointed out.
She also welcomed the RM100,000 grant provided by the United States to women’s group Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor or Empower for a project to encourage women in Selangor to participate more in both local and national politics.
Backbencher Nancy Shukri, who is also head of the caucus, urged young women to join a political participation workshop which would be held from Dec 9 to 12 in Sepang.
Empower executive director Maria Chin Abdullah said for more than two decades, women’s participation in Parliament remained at 10% and between 6% and 7% in state assemblies.
In comparison, women’s participation in Parliament in Singapore was 24.5% and 20.5% in the Philippines, 11.7% in Thailand and 11.6% in Indonesia.
Former Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said the 30% quota for women’s participation in politics was inadequate.
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