KUALA LUMPUR – Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) today once again reiterated its call for the electorate to give the party an opportunity in the coming general election and increase the number of female representatives in the Dewan Rakyat.
Its Hulu Selangor candidate, Haniza Mohamed Talha, said the composition of women MPs in the Dewan Rakyat was only around 15% of the total 222 members.
“This is still a far cry from the target of at least 30% women MPs, which many had aspired to see.
“PBM walks the talk when it comes to women empowerment. Of the six parliamentary seats we are contesting, four of them are women,” she said in a statement.
Apart from Haniza, the others are PBM president-designate Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin, who is defending her Ampang seat, Dr Daroyah Alwi (Kapar) and Dayang Rusimah @ Raynie Mohd Din (Labuan).
Of the two state seats the party is contesting, one of them is a female candidate, namely Nazmahwati Walli, who is contesting in Bugaya.
“Such a huge number of female candidates from a single party is unprecedented in Malaysian history.
“We have to remember that of the 1,386 candidates taking part in the November 19 election, 87% are male,” said Haniza.
She said women lawmakers have several major advantages over their male counterparts.
“We need to recognise that in today’s world, which is driven by division and polarity, a political leadership imbued with maternal instincts can make a significant difference in the lives of the people.
“The fairer sex is known to be more empathetic and consultative without necessarily being weak or ineffective.
“In fact, in many instances, women have displayed leadership attributes and effectiveness that surpass that of men,” she added. – The Vibes, November 14, 2022
