[0:00]From Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, this is the BBC World Service. This multi-ethnic, multi-racial nation has gone from rural poverty to urban affluence in two generations. It trades with China and the US, but as they clash, which way will it turn?
[0:30]This Southeast Asian nation is divided into East and West by the South China Sea. It's an heir to immigration from India and China and beyond. And it's a country where Islam is dominant, but freedom of worship is guaranteed by the Constitution. Modernity has come at a rush to Malaysia, but growth has brought many questions, how to distribute the riches more equally, how to govern without the stain of corruption and how to navigate the clash of the great powers, China and the US. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has said of Malaysia, we have to emerge as a mature democracy. But as of now, there are still some subjects which are judged too sensitive for us to address directly in open debate. But we have an audience who have freely offered challenging questions on the issues and a panel very ready to address them. Our panel, Senator Dr. Fuziah Salleh is Secretary General of the Prime Minister's PKR party and Deputy Minister for Trade. Dr. Tricia Yeoh is associate professor of practice at the University of Nottingham Malaysia's School of Politics and International Relations. Wan Ahmad is a member of the National Assembly, a former Minister for National Unity and the opposition spokesman on Foreign Affairs. Our final guest is Vilashini Somya, head of the Gender Studies program at the University of Malaysia.
[2:02]She is an anthropologist, long specializing in the lives of marginalized people in East Malaysia, where she comes from. Your panel.
[2:10]Thank you. Thank you. Let's go to our first question and it comes from Noor. Good evening. Good evening. My question is, as we can observe now, most bosses in Malaysian media corporations are men. Where are the women? Is it because we're too emotional? Men get emotional too, so what are your thoughts? Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. I'm delighted to say the director of news at the BBC is a woman. Although the Director General is a man, 14% of seats in parliament here in Malaysia are held by women and women have a much lower workforce participation rate. Villani Somia, head of gender studies. That was targeted. Yeah, well, I'm sorry. You couldn't stop at there, you had to go straight to a woman. Thanks so much for that question, Nora. I mean, you know, I was waiting for it. Fair enough. I mean, this obviously is the conversation we have all the time, right? Where are the women, right? I also understand what the reality is. The reality is you got to go home, cook for your husband, cook for your wife, press his pimples out, right? Go and do, you know, your second job, your second hustle on on on um um uh what do you call your online job and so on and so forth and the triple burden of living just consumes you. And this is why we can't get 30% in, which by the way is a number that I hate, personally I hate. So 30% in Parliament. 30% anywhere. The moment you put that number, it's going to be a problem because it also means to say my 100% is equivalent to your 30% participation. Would you like to see sort of formal policies like affirmative action? Of course. You would like to see that. Of course I would like to see that. Thank you. Um I am going to go to the audience on this. I warn you now. Um I'm going to go to the loan man on our panel, Wan Ahmad. Um uh what are your thoughts? Where are the women? Well, if you were to notice the numbers of female students studying in higher education in Malaysia are outnumbering the men, the male. Uh maybe the opportunities in certain sectors are quite limited, especially politics. Uh some of the reason they gave especially in rural areas or in conservative area, if you feel woman candidate, the chances of winning might be lower than than the male candidates. So this must be corrected with what education. Education to the masses that woman and female and male politicians or assembly men or assembly woman in that matter are equal in their abilities. Okay. Thank you very much. Just. I just I really I'm going to go to the other members of the panel first. I'll let you get away with this for five seconds. Okay.
[33:26]Thank you. Um that's what a political party manifesto is for. Make sure you study it, make sure you keep your politicians and the parties accountable. Thank you. Senator. Yeah, being in government and being in opposition is totally different and understanding it from being from the opposition is gives a very different perspective from understanding from being in government. So we'll be more careful about our manifesto next time. And the last word goes to Somia.
