By Media Selangor Team
SHAH ALAM, Sept 21 — Selangor, Penang and Sarawak are stepping up efforts to boost women’s participation in politics, with initiatives aimed at ensuring at least 30 per cent female representation in their assemblies.
State executive councillor for women empowerment and welfare Anfaal Saari said the move aligns with the Beijing Declaration 1995, in which the United Nations called for women’s greater involvement in decision-making roles.
She said that to date, only 16 per cent of Selangor assemblymen are women.
“The minimum is 30 per cent representation. Inclusion helps women representatives raise issues related to women, families and equitable perceptions,” she said, as reported by The Star.
She said discussions on raising the percentage are ongoing, with hopes that the target can be achieved in five to 10 years.
“For transformation to happen, there has to be change at the grassroots, which requires the commitment of political parties in terms of party structure,” she said.
In Penang, the state government is pushing the Top-Up Women-Only Additional Seats (TWOAS) initiative, which was first introduced in 2020.
Penang executive councillor for social development Lim Siew Khim said the mechanism would allow extra seats to be created if the 30 per cent quota is not met through elections.
“We are working hard for it. The additional female representatives will be appointed to represent the state as a whole rather than just the constituencies,” she said.
Penang currently has only four female assemblymen, which makes up 10 per cent of its 40 seats.
Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the proposal has to be discussed with stakeholders, but stressed there is no shortage of qualified candidates.
Meanwhile, Parti Rakyat Sarawak women’s chief Datuk Seri Doris Sophia Brodie called for legislation to mandate a minimum 30 per cent women’s representation in state assemblies and Parliament.
“Without such a mandate, advocacy alone will not deliver results,” she said.
Doris added that women have consistently outpaced men in higher education enrolment since the mid-1990s.
