By Olivia Miwil
November 20, 2025 @ 7:30pm
PENAMPANG, NOV 20, 2025: Deputy Communications minister Teo Nie Ching during a press conference at Kapayan..Photo by Nst readers
KOTA KINABALU: Greater female representation in politics is crucial to improving Malaysia's Gender Gap Index, says Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching.
"Malaysia ranks lowest among Asean countries in terms of the Gender Gap Index, largely because women's participation in politics is extremely limited. At university, six out of every 10 students are women, and in sectors such as healthcare, there is no noticeable gender gap. But when it comes to politics — elected representatives, cabinet members, ministers — women's participation is very low, and this affects our overall score," she said during a press conference at the Kapayan DAP office here.
Teo, who is also DAP vice-chairman and women's chief, is in Sabah to support Pakatan Harapan candidate Datuk Jannie Lasimbang in defending Kapayan for the 17th Sabah General Election.
She praised DAP Sabah for its consistent commitment to gender equality, adding that the party had fielded eight candidates in the state election, half of whom are women.
Teo said that voters must consider the long-term impact of their choices on gender equality.
"If we do not make a sustained effort to improve representation, it will take a very long time to see more women elected. When women constitute only a small proportion of candidates, it risks becoming tokenistic rather than a genuine, concerted effort," she said.
She added that female leaders would tend to have a deeper understanding of issues affecting children, the elderly, and women, often bringing greater compassion to policymaking.
"Female candidates understand the needs of mothers, children, and the elderly. I'm not saying men don't care, but women usually bring more empathy," she said.
"Malaysia ranks lowest among Asean countries in terms of the Gender Gap Index, largely because women's participation in politics is extremely limited. At university, six out of every 10 students are women, and in sectors such as healthcare, there is no noticeable gender gap. But when it comes to politics — elected representatives, cabinet members, ministers — women's participation is very low, and this affects our overall score," she said during a press conference at the Kapayan DAP office here.
Teo, who is also DAP vice-chairman and women's chief, is in Sabah to support Pakatan Harapan candidate Datuk Jannie Lasimbang in defending Kapayan for the 17th Sabah General Election.
She praised DAP Sabah for its consistent commitment to gender equality, adding that the party had fielded eight candidates in the state election, half of whom are women.
Teo said that voters must consider the long-term impact of their choices on gender equality.
"If we do not make a sustained effort to improve representation, it will take a very long time to see more women elected. When women constitute only a small proportion of candidates, it risks becoming tokenistic rather than a genuine, concerted effort," she said.
She added that female leaders would tend to have a deeper understanding of issues affecting children, the elderly, and women, often bringing greater compassion to policymaking.
"Female candidates understand the needs of mothers, children, and the elderly. I'm not saying men don't care, but women usually bring more empathy," she said.
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