KUALA LUMPUR, June 22 — Bukit Bendera MP Syerleena Abdul Rashid has called for urgent reforms to achieve at least 30 per cent women’s representation in Malaysian politics, arguing that the country can no longer afford to lag behind its regional peers in gender equality and political empowerment.

Speaking during the Dewan Rakyat debate on the report of the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Women, Children and Community Development, Syerleena expressed support for the committee’s recommendations and urged the government to take concrete steps towards meeting the 30 per cent target for women’s participation in politics.

She noted that while women make up nearly half of Malaysia’s population, they occupy only 30 of the 222 seats in Parliament, representing just 13.5 per cent of the Dewan Rakyat.

“This is the reality of gender equality in Malaysian politics today,” she said.

Syerleena highlighted Malaysia’s poor performance in international rankings, noting that the country is ranked 114th out of 146 countries in the Global Gender Gap Index and 134th in political empowerment, reflecting the low participation of women in decision-making roles.

She said Malaysia continues to trail many of its ASEAN neighbours, with Indonesia recording more than 21 per cent women’s representation in parliament, Vietnam reaching 30 per cent, and Timor-Leste exceeding 35 per cent.

“At the current rate of progress, it could take another 135 years to close the gender gap in political representation,” she warned.

According to Syerleena, decades of relying on voluntary commitments from political parties have failed to deliver meaningful change. Although the number of women candidates has increased significantly over the years, the proportion of women elected remains stagnant at around 14 per cent.

She attributed this to structural barriers that continue to disadvantage women, including male-dominated party leadership, gender stereotypes, unpaid caregiving responsibilities, rising campaign costs and an electoral system that tends to favour incumbents.

However, Syerleena stressed that quotas alone would not solve the problem.

She cautioned that political parties could meet quota requirements by fielding women in unwinnable constituencies, resulting in little improvement in actual representation.

“Policies must reward real electoral success, not merely the nomination of women candidates,” she said. “Women must be given opportunities to contest in competitive and winnable seats.”

To address the issue, Syerleena proposed the phased implementation of a Gender Parity Act in political representation, beginning with incentives ahead of the 16th General Election and strengthened measures before the 17th General Election in line with Malaysia’s commitments under CEDAW.

She also called on the government to immediately adopt a minimum 30 per cent target for women in appointments under its direct control, including the Cabinet, the Senate, government-linked company boards and local authorities.

In addition, she urged policymakers to remove practical barriers faced by women seeking public office by expanding childcare support, introducing flexible working arrangements and ensuring fairer access to campaign financing.

Looking ahead to the next general election, expected by 2027 or 2028, Syerleena said the 30 per cent target should be viewed not as an ambitious aspiration but as the minimum standard of a healthy democracy.

“Malaysian women are not asking for sympathy or special treatment. They are demanding their right to be represented where decisions about their lives and their future are made,” she said.

She concluded by stating that gender equality in politics is ultimately a test of Malaysia’s democratic values and commitment to inclusive governance.

“Gender equality is not a test for women. It is a test for Parliament, for our democracy and for the Malaysia we aspire to build together,” she said.