KUALA LUMPUR: Newly formed Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) is fielding women candidates in five of the seven Parliamentary seats the party is contesting in its general election debut.
One of its two candidates for state polls is also a female.
Leading the charge of the fairer sex in PBM is its president designate Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin, who is defending the Ampang parliamentary seat, and party deputy president Haniza Talha, who is vying for the Hulu Selangor constituency.
Other PBM women Parliamentary candidates are its Wanita Chief, Dr Daroyah Alwi (Kapar) and Dayang Rusimah @ Raynie Mohd Din (Labuan).
The party also named Nazmahwati Walli as its candidate for the Bugaya state seat in the Sabah by-election.
Zuraida, the caretaker Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister, said this was in line with the party's agenda on women empowerment.
"PBM has gone over and above the 30 per cent quota other political parties have set as women candidates. In PBM, we believe that women need to play a more dominant role in our male-dominated politics.
"Studies have shown that women are more sensitive to the needs of the electorate. I believe if more women hold senior positions of power, our society will not become as divisive as it is now," Zuraida said in a statement today.
She added that unlike some other parties where women were fielded as a token representation, PBM's female candidates were leaders of calibre.
They have a proven track record in serving the local community and all of them have distinguished careers in their respective fields, she said.
Meanwhile, Haniza who is also the Lembah Jaya assemblywoman in Selangor said women's empowerment was one of PBM's six core pillars. The other five are multiracial engagement, youth empowerment, economic development, education and the advancement of science and technology.
"We have women empowerment in our DNA. This is why we appeal to voters to give PBM a chance as we believe women leaders can be just as effective as their male counterparts and women have more empathy," she added.