The idea of fielding an independent women's candidate was mooted in July
of 1998 in recognition of the fact that this would advance the political participation of women at the highest level of national decision-making. The idea brought together several women from various backgrounds to discuss the possibilities.
In September of the same year, in response to the political and economic crises that swept the country, the group continued to meet and discussed the implications of the political developments that were occuring at the time. The meetings discussed potential responses to the political upheaval, as well as the impact of the economic crisis.
A number of potential ideas were discussed, and the option of fielding an independent women's candidate in the impending 10th general elections was discussed with greater conviction. It was felt that such an initiative would add a new element into Malaysian politics by moving away from the norm of utilising racial-based politics during election campaigns.
More importantly, it was felt that such a candidate would open up space for women to involve themselves politically, to take women's issues to the political level as well as gain experience in politics without the impediment of party structures [link to explanation about WCI below]that tend to make it more difficult for women to participate in politics.
In the process of discussion, various members of the group looked at the 'Women's Manifesto', a document that had been prepared by women's organisations in 1990, and which was endorsed by a number of organisations and individuals in the lead-up to the elections that year. This resulted in a concurrent initiative to bring the 'Women's Manifesto' up-to-date, called the Women's Agenda for Change. [link to WAC]. The process for the Women's Agenda for Change became more structured with various organisations coming together to form an organising committee, and this initiative took on its own momentum and dynamics. The Women's Agenda for Change evolved into a policy document focusing on eleven issues.
It was a significant step forward for the proponents of the idea of a women's candidacy; there were, however, many more obstacles to be faced.
On 14 March 1999 in Petaling Jaya, a meeting was called to gauge the amount of support there was for the women's candidacy initiative. The response was highly encouraging and motivated those who were interested to continue to meet and discuss how this process could be advanced. It took several months of meetings and discussion before the initiative coalesced into what is now its current form.
In the recent past, women have been berated for getting involved in politics; they are told that they have no place there, that women's issues should not be made 'political'. A woman candidate would correct the misconception about what women's issues are: that women's issues are economic, social and political issues, in fact, all that affects society and the nation. As half the citizenry of the nation, women's demands and needs cannot be marginalised. The women's candidate is to give a new voice to reflect all and any issues that affect women.
We call ourselves the Women's Candidacy Initiative (WCI). With a core group of committed individuals and many supporters, the WCI has developed the potential for creating political impact.
The Women's Candidacy Initiative platform is partially based on the Women's Agenda for Change. It deals comprehensively with the WCI's vision of the future for Malaysian women and men and outlines in general, the principles upon which the WCI stand.
As the elections draw closer, the WCI continues to try and develop its potential, aiming of course, to eventually field a candidate in a parliamentary constituency. Throughout this process, the WCI has received much encouragement from many quarters, particularly from Party Rakyat Malaysia [link to PRM] that remained supportive of all our efforts from the
start.
Currently, the WCI is focusing on what it knows best - women voter education. The pamphlets and materials are all focussed on the importance of women as voters, and why it is important for women to vote, as well as the things that they must take into consideration when voting. The WCI recognises that most political awareness-raising activities in Malaysia do not reach most women, mainly due to the inability of existing political structures to appeal to them. It is this vacuum that the WCI is trying to fill.
We are also working on making the candidacy successful by doing as much groundwork on increasing the political consciousness of women voters, as well as male voters. We do this through conducting leafleting exercises on general voter awareness and holding meetings with small groups of people to better understand issues that are important to various communities.
