PERANTIS AIMS TO TACKLE DROP IN WOMEN’S POLITICAL REPRESENTATION - NANCY

PUTRAJAYA, April 24 (Bernama) -- Malaysia’s representation of women in politics has declined to 13.36 per cent in Parliament, prompting calls for more robust policy interventions and leadership development programmes.

Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said the issue is not due to a lack of party support, but rather a deeply rooted political culture.

“When I first came in as a Member of Parliament in 2008, there were about 14 per cent of us. Now it is reducing, but this does not mean that the parties did not send enough (female candidates).

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“The party did send, but people did not vote for women because that is not a trend that we have in Malaysia. Our trend is to vote for the party. That is why my ministry introduces the Women’s Leadership Apprenticeship Programme (PERANTIS) programme, to see more women take up leadership roles in politics,” she said.

Nancy was speaking to reporters after delivering her keynote address at the International Conference for Empowering Women’s Inclusive Leadership (ICEWIL) here today.

PERANTIS prioritises the development of women’s leadership skills in fields such as the economy, politics, social affairs, law, education, health, safety, welfare and other relevant professional areas.

The initiative was launched with a RM5 million allocation by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on March 8, last year, during the International Women’s Day celebration.

According to Nancy, in 2024, 25 recipients were selected for the programme, but only two focused on politics, indicating limited engagement with political leadership among Malaysians.

“That is why we need more leadership programmes like ICEWIL, so that we can expose more young people to what leadership is all about,” she said.

For 2025, the ministry is scaling up the programme with RM5 million investment, 100 mentors and 5,000 participants.

-- BERNAMA