THE proposed addition of 17 state constituencies in Sarawak should be accompanied by greater representation of women in the state legislature, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said today.
She said political parties should encourage more women to participate in politics and field them as candidates to create a more balanced gender representation.
"Once the 17 new seats are approved, the ratio of women in political participation should also be increased," she told reporters after opening a Power and Presence Bootcamp for women here today.
The Election Commission's draft proposal to create 17 new state seats is currently on public display in Sarawak.
The proposal follows the Sarawak Legislative Assembly's passage of the Dewan Undangan Negeri (Composition of Membership) Bill last year to increase the number of elected representatives from 82 to 99.
Nancy said political parties had a responsibility to train more women to become the next generation of leaders.
"Women like me are getting older. We need women who can take over one day, so they need to be trained and hopefully be recognised by the top leadership," she said.
"But we should increase the number of women in politics. If there are too many from just one gender, it will be less balanced," she said.
Nancy also said women should not impose a ceiling on their participation in leadership and decision-making roles by limiting themselves to targets such as 30%.
She said as many women as possible should be encouraged to take up leadership roles across various sectors, including politics, the economy and the workforce.
"If we give women opportunities to lead, we can achieve more than 30%. So to me, let's not set a ceiling for ourselves.
"Just move on so that we can achieve more participation by women," she said. - September 21, 2026
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