More women to be in (Singapore) politics?

TODAY, July 4, 2009




MORE WOMEN TO BE IN POLITICS
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WITH 17 People's Action Party (PAP) women MPs already in Parliament,
the groundwork has begun towards beefing up the ranks with at least
half a dozen more - starting with the upcoming General Election, due
by early-2012.

But even as PAP Women's Wing chairman Lim Hwee Hua (picture) spelt
out her hopes of "gradually" having women make up 30 per cent of MPs
in Parliament, she cautioned against setting a minimum quota and
using the Women's Wing as a lobby group.

"There is no queue out there wanting to be admitted ... also, I
wouldn't want anyone to doubt or question the quality of women MPs,"
said Mrs Lim, who was speaking on Friday at a press conference ahead
of the Women's Wing's 20th anniversary celebrations this weekend.

Around the world, various governments have committed to increase
female representation in politics. The Malaysian government will soon
launch an action plan to allow women to hold at least 30 per cent of
leadership positions in both the public and private sectors.

Since the Women's Wing was founded, the number of female MPs here has
swelled from four to 17. And despite making up only about 20 per cent
of the total number of MPs, the current batch of women MPs had tabled
42 per cent of all parliamentary questions in the first half of their
term, said Mrs Lim.

Still, she made it clear who should be given much of the credit for
the greater female representation in Parliament.

"It is really through the vision of the men who were in charge ...
Most of us came through because we were identified by the leaders who
were men," she said.

Mrs Lim became the first full woman minister when she was appointed
in April as a Minister in the Prime Minister's Office.

Pointing out that there are now five women activists heading the PAP
branches, Mrs Lim also shared how women - especially the younger ones
- were keen to get their views across during closed-door feedback
sessions by the Women's Wing.

While women have "gone beyond" the point of seeing politics as the
exclusive domain of an elite few, getting them to stand for elections
was a different story, due to factors such as the need to juggle
competing demands of career, family and political work, said Mrs Lim.


THAT FEMALE EDGE

The value of women in politics is apparent, given their greater
sensitivity and attention to detail, Mrs Lim noted. Such qualities
give them an edge in the "social aspect" of politics.

At meet-the-people sessions and house-to-house visits, women
activists and volunteers are deliberately deployed at the frontline
to "draw out" needy residents who might be too shy to seek help.

"The reality is that, for example, when we do house-to-house visits,
when you have a woman knocking on the door, it's likely that the door
will be opened a lot faster than if it is a man," Mrs Lim quipped.

While her appointment to the Cabinet has invariably cast her as a
champion for women's issues in a male-dominated line-up, Mrs Lim was
clearly uncomfortable with that tag.

Citing her professional background in finance and economics, Mrs Lim
said: "When I first came into (politics), at some point (I was) a
little irritated because I keep getting asked: 'What are the women
issues that you are going to bring up?'"

"But that's not to say that I won't speak on women's issues. If
there's a real cause to be pursued, we will obviously take it up and
do our best for it."

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