All talk, no action: women make up mere 16% of Melaka candidates

AYER KEROH – So much for the bluster on women empowerment, as this has not been reflected in the number of female candidates being fielded in Melaka.

Despite all the talk and commitment for better gender representation by both sides of the political divide over the years, women make up a measly number in the candidate pool for the Melaka election.

Of the 91 individuals who have announced their candidacies so far, including politicians from 10 parties and two independents, there are only 15 women in the field.

This is a paltry 16.5%, a far cry from the 30% often talked about by the parties. 

According to Election Commission data, women account for 51.43% of the voters in the state.

On the government front, which comprises from Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN), only 11 women have been put forward as candidates.

Of the 28 seats contested by BN, six are women (21.4%). PN, meanwhile, has announced five female candidates of the 28 put forward (17.6%).

This runs contrary to the government’s plan to prioritise women, which was announced during the tabling of Budget 2022 last week.

During the budget announcement, Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz spent a significant portion of his speech addressing issues faced by women, and announced a slew of incentives and allocation for them.

These include millions of ringgit allocated to uplift women, a requirement to have female directors in public-listed companies, and RM250 million to assist female entrepreneurs.

Meanwhile, Pakatan Harapan (PH) is not scoring points on that front as well.

Among the 28 candidates announced, only four are women (14.3%) – two from PKR and one each from Amanah and DAP – the lowest among the three major coalitions contesting the state election.

This is despite PH’s 2018 General Election manifesto to have at least 30% women among appointed policymakers.

Putra, meanwhile, will field one woman among its five candidates.

So far, only two individuals have expressed interest to contest as independents, although the number could change come nomination day tomorrow.

The two are former DAP man and incumbent Pengkalan Batu assemblyman Datuk Norhizam Hassan Baktee and Sikh lawyer Booda Singh, who intends to compete in Gadek. – The Vibes, November 7, 2021