PETALING JAYA: Kamala Harris, who will be the next US vice-president, has become an inspiration for Malaysian women.
She will pave the way for women to get bigger representation in politics and be the flag carrier for women leadership in Asia, according to several prominent women theSun spoke to yesterday.
Harris is setting unprecedented records – she will not only be the first woman to take the second highest US political office but she will also be the first person of African and Asian heritage to take the job. Harris’ father and mother emigrated from Jamaica and India respectively.
She is the running mate to Democratic Party presidential candidate Joe Biden, who secured the White House in a closely fought US election.
Bukit Kepayang assemblyman Nicole Tan sees Harris as a person destined to make great changes not only to US politics but to women empowerment as well.
“Kamala is bold. She is known to be a good orator, she’s not afraid to speak her mind. These are some qualities you need in a woman leader and she has it,” said Tan, who is from DAP and also serves as Negri Sembilan state executive councillor.
She expressed hope that Harris’ rise would also lead to an increase in women representation in the US Senate.
“She has to do her part to make it happen, it cannot be just lip service. She should try to make it compulsory for 50pc female representation,” Tan said, adding that in DAP, women now account for 30pc of those picked for political office.
Women’s gender parity organisation RepresentWomen reported that as of last year, women make up 51pc of the US population but only 25pc of the US Senate and 23pc at the US House of Representatives.
Tan also believes that Malaysia will see a woman prime minister within her lifetime.
“I am confident that we can break the barrier like when we won in 2018.”
She was referring to Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who became the country’s first woman deputy prime minister when Pakatan Harapan won the general election two years ago.
All Women’s Action Society programme and operations manager Nisha Sabanayagam said Harris could reduce discrimination and reverse trends to enable more women of colour to be placed in leadership roles.
She said Harris’ Indian roots also meant that Asian women of Indian origin could identify with her and show there are opportunities to shine in leadership roles.
“When Biden picked her, the Indian community in Malaysia were trying to figure what kind of Indian she was so they can lay claim to some of the glory and use her as an example for their daughters,” she quipped.
Nisha also called for Malaysia to put more capable women in prominent positions in powerful ministries.
“Political parties should break the mould to enable more women to hold higher positions as opposed to being just the head of the women’s wings. There are many amazing women leaders out there in the corporate world who lead great big organisations.”
