RECOGNISING the need to have more female representation in politics, a group of youngsters started Parliwomen in 2021. A youth-led project called Parliwomen aims to raise awareness about the importance of having more women in politics (including but not only in parliament). It also hopes to increase political literacy and reduce public apathy among youth and also Malaysians at large.
The project started with just five or six young women but has grown over the last three years to the 20-odd members that are on board at the moment, all volunteering their time towards the end of increasing women's participation in politics.
Parliwomen is currently co-led by Aisyah Adly, an undergraduate at University Teknologi Mara and Anis Ismail,
"We believe that the full and equitable participation of women in public life is essential to building and sustaining strong, vibrant democracies," says Aisyah. "For political institutions to be democratically legitimate and responsive to all citizens, they have to be inclusive of the plurality of groups that exist within the population. This requires greater representation of women in parliaments and broader diversity."
Aisyah joined Parliwomen two years ago.
"At the time, I was actually quite active in the civil society organisation/non governmental organisation scene and had volunteered with various NGOs and did a few internships as well. So at one point, I asked myself what my passion was and what was it that I wanted to fight for? That's when it hit me that we do not have many women in politics despite how important it is for Malaysia. And that's why I joined Parliwomen," she explains.
"Essentially, Parliwomen is run by girls who share the same vision and passion for having more Malaysian women in politics," says Anis. "Personally, I wanted to know how I can participate in politics without being part of a political party per se. I wanted to understand things from the outside, like what it means to have more women in politics as well as voting for the political system. Also, we wanted to encourage women to be better versed in understanding how policies are made and so on."
However, to address the severe under-representation of women in politics, the group realised that they needed to do more than just raise awareness among women and educating the public on the issue. They decided to focus also on empowering women to enter the local political arena by providing them with training via capacity building workshop sessions.
"We need women at the table to discuss holistically how the whole of society is affected by issues. At the end of the day, the decisions that are made in parliament effects Malaysians from all layers of society; laws that are passed affect everyone and if we don't have women on board – a diverse group of women – then you are not hearing everyone's voices," says Anis.
The inclusion of more women in politics and in leadership is also a matter of representation.
"For girls, it is so important to see women represented. Visibility is important ... when you see someone who looks like you up there, you will be interested and curious to find out more about politics and policy making and how it affects you. And it does affect us a lot: Things like citizenship or statelessness, for example, it affects women far more then men," says Anis.
It is also important to have more women representation to highlight the issues faced by women and other marginalised communities that sometimes don't get enough focus or attention from policy makers, says Aisyah.
"Healthcare, childcare, education, social welfare and gender equality all need more advocacy and more comprehensive and responsive policy solutions to address the needs of all citizens. And I think more women in politics can be a catalyst for broader social change ... it can contribute to cultural shifts, attitude changes, and the dismantling of barriers to equality in society," she adds. Among the initiatives run by Parliwomen are their Kem Politik, which is a series of workshops to foster an interest in politics among girls and women and giving them soft skills to facilitate their participation. These skills include public speaking, critical thinking and civic education, among others. The group also uses their social media platforms to post informative infographics on related topic to further their reach and get a greater following.
"We have also run programmes where we collaborated with a few MPs and women in politics. For instance, last year we did a town hall (session) where we gathered young girls and women from various backgrounds to articulate their views on women in politics such as discussing why it is so hard for women to climb the political ladder?
"So for instance we had sessions with Sangetha Jayakumar also the vice women chief of Keadilan and Nur Dinie Fadil, the information chief of Puteri Umno Kuala Pilah and also Subang Jaya assembly person Michelle Ng. And besides that, we also have our annual Kem Politik to introduce politics to young women and girls where we also invite guest speakers such as Teo Nie Ching, currently the Deputy Communications Minister to speak with us," says Aisyah.
Adds Anis: "We try to have as many conversations with these women in politics as possible so that the public can also ask them questions. So want to provide a platform to bridge the gap between politicians and young girls and women to understand better what is the challenges that women face when they are climbing the political ladder. The sessions are also open to men and we have had men on board as well."
Apart from in-person events, the group also has Parliwomen podcasts on Spotify and Parliwomen in Session, a series of conversations posted on their YouTube channel.
The roadblocks women often face, they two women agree, include cultural and societal norms and traditional gender roles that dictate that a women's place is, primarily, in the home.
"All this can discourage women from entering politics or pursuing leadership positions outside the domestic sphere. The lack of representation also makes it difficult for other women to see themselves as viable candidates or to receive support from existing political structures. Other roadblocks are discrimination and sexism that women face, both overt and subtle, which undermine our credibility and ability to effectively participate in political discourse.
"Other than that, (political) party dynamics are also often not conducive to women holding leadership roles as they are often male dominated decision making structures and cultures. Women also often have a limited access to financial resources and networks or support systems that are necessary to run for political office or to engage in political activism effectively," says Aisyah.
Anis adds that sometimes it is hard to understand the difference women can bring in decision making processes.
"I think a lot of the time, young people don't really understand the role they play in policy making, for example or the difference that having more women on board can have to their lives or to the community. I remember one instance, when the flood issue was being discussed in Parliament some yearsd back and Nurul Izzah (Anwar, Permatang Pauh MP at the time) raised some points about how the issue was impacting not just the economy but also social structures and her prespective was so vastly different and it made people think, 'Oh, so this is why we need women. We need different perspectives.'
"Unfortunately, it takes instances like that for people to realise the importance of having women at the table. And I think it is difficult for people to realise, if society already has preconceived notion that equal numbers do not mean anything. And I think that's the biggest problem at the end of the day. The same way, during our sessions when we talk about the role each of us play in the decision making process that happens in parliament, most people don't see the role they play in, for instance, pressuring their MPs or representative in making sure a particular issue is addressed or an objective is reached," says Anis.
Moving forward, Parliwomen hopes to engage with more organisations with different target audiences, to expand beyond our comfort zone and talk to individuals who might not be the most supportive or receptive to feminist issues that they are fighting for.
"That's what we're trying to do. We also need to convince men that women are just as important and that women's political participation is important. So we need them to buy into this," says Anis.
Adds Siti Aisyah: "Male allies are important in supporting women's leadership aspirations by challenging gender stereotypes amplifying women's voices, advocating for inclusive policies and fostering a culture of respect and equality within political institutions. By working together, we can create lasting change and build a more inclusive society for all. Personally, I think it is good when men actually realise that not only do we need more women in politics but that they play a crucial role in this since it is a male-dominated space. And this includes addressing sexism and discrimination as well as providing support for women balancing political careers with family responsibilities."
Being a relatively new and small initiative, Parliwomen does have its work cut out for them.
"There are challenges, especially in trying to engage with politicians as we are young and have to build our credibility still. However, there is a lot of grassroots mobilisation and community activism to promote women's representation and they do engage with us. We are still growing and we have gotten quite positive feedback and have made some good engagement with women in politics at different levels. I think we're doing great so far, but I do hope to see us grow," concludes Siti Aisyah.
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