Scrap women’s wings in political parties, says Ambiga

 

Lawyer-turned-activist Ambiga Sreenevasan urged all political parties to set a firm target of 30% female representation in their candidate lineups.

PETALING JAYA: 

Lawyer-turned-activist Ambiga Sreenevasan has called for an end to the practice of having women’s wings in political parties.

Speaking at a public forum organised by NGO Mandiri, Ambiga said the existence of a separate wing for women reinforces male dominance in the party leadership.

“The minute you move them to another wing, what are you saying? You’re saying the male wing is the one in command.

“By the way, we’re giving women a women’s wing, and hopefully, they will just talk about family and children,” she said, adding that such structures do not provide women with equal footing in politics.

Ambiga, a former Bar Council president, praised Muda for not having a women’s wing, saying that it reflects the party’s commitment to treating women as equals.

“That is a very good move … You make them your equals,” she said.

Ambiga also pointed out that women remain severely underrepresented in Malaysian politics, holding less than 15% of the 222 parliamentary seats.

As such, she urged political parties to set a firm target of 30% female representation in their candidate lineups, saying that such a move would set a trend for greater inclusion of women in politics.

“Thirty per cent is all we’re asking for,” Ambiga said, adding that 30% is a modest demand compared to asking for true equality at 50%.

Bernama previously reported that in the 15th general election (GE15), women made up only 13.4% of the total candidates – 127 out of 945 parliamentary hopefuls.

Pakatan Harapan fielded the highest percentage of female candidates at 18%, followed by Barisan Nasional at 11%, and Perikatan Nasional at 9.3%. - FMT