KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 14 — Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said today she has yet to receive the proposal by the PKR women’s wing to create non-constituency seats in Dewan Rakyat specially for women.
Wanita PKR chief Haniza Mohd Talha said this was for Parliament to achieve the 30 per cent target of women MPs.
“They have not presented it yet. We just have to listen to them when they present it,” Dr Wan Azizah told reporters after launching the Removing Obstacles to Cervical Screening (ROSE) programme.
Yesterday, Haniza said the wing would raise the proposed electoral reform proposal with Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Dr Wan Azizah.
The Lembah Jaya assemblyman said a motion will be tabled for the Dewan Rakyat to establish non-constituency seats in order for the House to appoint women leaders as MPs without their having to contest elections, which she said was practiced in other countries such as Germany and some African nations.
Yesterday, PKR vice-president Zuraida Kamaruddin had also called for a quota of 30 per cent of electoral seats to be allocated to women candidates.
She said women parliamentarians made up 13 per cent since Pakatan Harapan won the last May 9 general elections, compared to 10 per cent under the former Barisan Nasional government.
Under the previous government, former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had promised to implement a 30 per cent quota for women in the Senate if it won with a stronger mandate in the 14th general elections.
