KOTA KINABALU: A Sabah Wanita MCA leader says women in the state must "step up" and play a more active role in shaping politics and policies.
Datuk Dr Pamela Yong, the Sabah Wanita MCA chief said women accounted for half of the state's voters.
"This means our needs and opinions count. We should be a force to reckon with," she said in her speech at the Sabah Wanita MCA annual general meeting yesterday.
"However, out of 447 total candidates in the last state election, only 43 were women, representing less than 10 per cent of all candidates."
Yong said there was a need for more women candidates in the next state election, and called on political parties to field more women.
She said with women accounting for nearly half of the voters in the state, they should be able to "swing votes and influence policy-making", and called on women to ramp up political engagements.
Meanwhile, Yong said women faced challenges in politics, including the lack of support from family members, limited exposure and negative perceptions.
"We are often viewed as weak or incapable of carrying out political duties. This is far from the truth," she said, adding there was a need to change mindsets about women in politics.