‘Financial obstacles keeping women out of Malaysian politics’
Malaysia ranks 152nd globally for women's representation in national parliaments, second to last in Southeast Asia
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (MNTV) – Pervasive financial obstacles are hindering women’s entry, retention, and advancement in Malaysian politics, revealing a systemic issue, reports Malaysiakini, quoting Projek SAMA.
These challenges significantly contribute to Malaysia’s ranking 152nd globally for women’s representation in national parliaments, placing it second to last in Southeast Asia.
Projek SAMA officially launched the report titled “Women and Politics in Malaysia Towards Inclusive and Affordable Political Participation” last week. It was supported by the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD).
Ngeow Chow Ying, Projek SAMA’s convener, presented the detailed study findings, which were based on desk research and in-depth interviews with eight political actors from diverse backgrounds.
The report showed that many women build their political careers through protracted and unpaid volunteer positions within party structures, incurring significant time, financial, and opportunity costs without guaranteed advancement. “The financial capacity of the candidate is one of the important deciding factors we find in securing leadership roles and this reliance on self-funding reinforces structural inequality,” says Ngeow.
Party support for election campaigns is often limited and inconsistent, forcing many, especially those without personal wealth or strong donor networks, to self-finance.
“One of the opposition MPs that we have interviewed told us that she used 60% of her salary to maintain the constituency work and the research work and only maybe 40% remaining to sustain the family.
“This lack of financial security not only places immense personal stress on women leaders, but also makes their political career very vulnerable to unexpected crises.”
The report also highlighted that women face greater challenges in fundraising due to persistent stereotypes about leadership suitability and perceived “winnability” which makes funders hesitant to invest in their campaigns.
The absence of a political finance act and transparent mechanisms, like public funding for parties creates deep inequalities, often denying opposition representatives crucial resources.
To address these systemic issues, the report puts forth several policy recommendations such as introducing a closed list proportional representation (CLPR) system with gender quotas alongside the existing first-past-the-post (FPTP) system.
This system would ensure more women candidates, reduce reliance on individual campaign financing, and improve access to funding networks.
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