KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 14): The number of women holding positions as Members of Parliament, State Assembly members and ministers in Malaysia remains low, said Deputy Minister of Communications Teo Nie Ching.

She said it is time for Malaysia to take more decisive and proactive steps to ensure women have their rightful place, especially in politics.

“With greater participation of women in politics, Malaysia will benefit from more inclusive and balanced leadership.

"However, waiting to achieve the goal of at least 30% female representation in political party leadership seems to be a slow process,” she said, speaking to reporters after attending the forum *Political Participation in Malaysia: Towards Equal Access for Women to Political Mandates in Parliament and State Assemblies at the German Embassy, here on Thursday.

Also present was the German Ambassador to Malaysia, Dr Peter Blomeyer.

Teo further suggested that political parties take the initiative to field at least 30% female candidates or create reserved seats exclusively for women.

“If we implement electoral reforms, I am confident that we can achieve this goal more quickly and efficiently. It is not an impossible task and can certainly be accomplished in this country,” she said, adding that this approach has proven successful in several other countries.

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