KUALA LUMPUR, July 2 — The Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition has officially broken its pledge for 30 per cent women’s representation in its administration now that all its ministers and deputies have been sworn in.
Following the appointments of the remainder of the Cabinet this morning, the coalition will now have just five women as full ministers and four as deputies.
The ministers are Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who is both deputy prime minister and women and family development minister, Rina Harun (rural and regional development), Zuraida Kamaruddin (housing and local government), Teresa Kok (primary industries) and Yeo Bee Yin (technology, science, climate change and environment).
The deputy ministers are Hannah Yeoh (women and family development), Teo Nie Ching (education), Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis (technology, science, climate change and environment), and Fuziah Salleh (Islamic affairs).
Yeo and Isnaraissah’s selections will make their ministries an all-women’s affair, however.
With five women among the 26 ministers, the gender’s representation is 19 per cent of the Cabinet.
The representation is lower still among deputy ministers, at just 16 per cent.
PH previously said it would be difficult to deliver on its 30 per cent election manifesto pledge, and today’s development confirms this.
