KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s younger generation are calling for parties to close the gender gap in politics by fielding more young, female candidates in the 15th general elections (GE15).

Speaking on It’s About YOUth, UNDI18 Communications Officer Aeslinn Noel said the country’s youths were well-aware of the need for diverse representation in the political arena.

“We’re still lagging behind and it’s quite glaring that there is a gender bias going on in Malaysian politics,” she said, adding that women play a pivotal role in the country’s development.

She urged parties to take the first step of acknowledging the unequal treatment of men and women in politics.

It's About Youth: GE15 - Breaking gender barriers for women in politics

Women currently occupy 15 per cent of seats in Parliament while 16.1 per cent of ministerial positions are held by females.

In the 2018 elections, only 75 out of the 687 candidates that contested at the parliamentary level were women.

Malaysia ranked 103 out of 146 countries on the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Gender Gap Index this year, scoring low in terms of women’s political participation.

Project Girls For Girls Co-founder Izzana Salleh said gender equity remained at the bottom of the country’s list of priorities, despite women making up half the population.

She noted there were still many systemic and cultural obstacles for women to overcome for their advancement in politics.

An example of this is how political parties sidelined youth and women into separate wings, instead of including them in the top leadership.

“It is not that they’re not enticed to join politics, because when you go on the ground you see many women and non-governmental organisations that are roaring and ready to represent,” she said.

Izzana added that Malaysia had been floating the minimum quota of 30 per cent women in parliamentary seats over the last 20 years, with little political will to fulfil this goal.

“When we’re bringing up issues in Parliament that cater to and address the needs of the women population, there has to be more people that understand the issue."

This includes gender-responsive budgets, policies regarding the care economy and the ongoing fight to allow Malaysian mothers to confer citizenship on their children born abroad.

“Let’s make a constitutional amendment to show that we’re serious about this,” she urged.

Echoing similar sentiments, Aeslinn said it was crucial to diversify Parliament and contest more young women to avoid creating an echo chamber.

“We need new ideas and new policies when it comes to youth and young women. In the run up to GE15, parties should not only consider fielding more young women candidates but also provide them with the necessary resources to win their respective seats.”

She said it was time for a shift in Malaysia’s “patriarchal society” and for young women to be given the platform to step up.

“There’s always the argument that women cannot be in positions of power because we’re too emotional, but I think sometimes you do need an emotional approach in these things. You need a fresh set of ideas that men may not come up with.”