WPP Workshop July 2023

WPP Workshop 25-26; 22-23 July 2023

Over the course of Empower’s four-day workshop, participants engaged in a series of conservations, debates, lectures, talks and simulations designed to introduce them to key themes involving womens political participation. The facilitators, who were selected from key civil society organisations, exposed participants to a variety of different subjects relating to women rights and representation in politics.

 Whether it was to spark their interest in politics, to present them with understanding of the available political avenues for their advocacy work, or to raise awareness of the need for more women representation; the workshop echoed the hope put forward by President of the Exco Rizal in his introductory message that there would be a new batch of leaders from amongst the participants who would become allies in the fight for more women in the political space.

A total of 11 individuals had joined the workshop, although participation across the four days varied between 10-7 participants. The summaries of each day is as follows and can also be found at the beginning of each day’s report.

 Day 1: Human Rights

Facilitator – Azura Nasron from Suaram
The objective of the day’s sessions was to get participants familiar with human and women’s rights framework, definitions and key concepts. As they were introduced to some of the concepts, participants were also questioned on whether they thought some of Malaysia’s more controversial legislations were needed and they were encouraged to share their experience and perspectives on the state of human rights in Malaysia. Participants were also taught about international human rights frameworks and its importance in advocacy work.

To help participants understand the complex process in which activist go through to seek justice for victims, participants played out an elaborate scenario in which family members of victims incarcerated under Sosma sought justice.

The facilitator also made an introduction to gender equality and encouraged participants to engage in a discussion about its key themes and its importance in creating a fair society for all. There was a brief introduction to the feminist movement and the modern-day campaigns to highlight gender issues.

Intersectionality and Privilege were key concepts that received a lot of attention at the later stages of Day 1 as the facilitator illustrated how these factors could come into play in everyday life.

Following the session, participants were invited to an informal sharing session later that evening with activist and former MP Maria Chin Abdullah. She shared a brief history of the feminist movement in Malaysia and highlighted the need for participants to be involved in the political space saying, “personal is political”.

Day 2: Women and Human Rights in Malaysia.

Facilitator – Hisomuddin Bakar from Ilham Center.

The events of Day 2 saw participants learn about the miserable state of womens political participation in Malaysia and why representation matters. Barriers to entry into politics were discussed and so were some of the roles that women in politics were usually relegated to (such as menial grassroots tasks). “If women are not represented by women, then their voice is not heard”.

From here, participants were introduced to some of the popular political narratives that had made their rounds on social media and asked to vote if they agreed or disagreed with the messages. Participants were told to notice how political videos preyed on emotional responses as they were shown multiple series of videos throughout Day 2, in which participants were also asked to consider how political messages are framed.

Lastly, participants were asked to identify issues relating to women that deserves priority by those in power; the type of leader that they would want to represent them and the types of programmes that would be beneficial to women.

Several key points were made on DAY 2, such as the need for CSOs to play a more active role in women’s political participation as representation was way below what was fair.

Day 3 – Politics and Administration

Facilitator – Maha Balakrishnan

The key takeaway from Day 3 is that there are opportunities in every layer of Government so long as you understand what the rules are. It was the hope that participants would learn the basics of how the legislative body worked and to use at least one tool learnt during Day 3 at the Parliament or State Assembly level.

Day 3 was an intense session with participants engaging in a mix of lectures on the democratic administrative system and conversations over the types of issues that they saw themselves fighting for, and how to advocate for them using the legislative body as a possible avenue. Participants were encouraged to express an understanding for key concepts such as the separation of powers, rule of law, check and balance, and policy and legislation. They were also presented with an outline of the structure and composition of Parliament and where the legislative body gets its power.

A major task that participants had to do was to come up with Parliamentary question for MPs to ask at the Dewan Rakyat. This happened after a session detailing the types of questions asked in Parliament and the rules and requirements associated with the process. The facilitator went through each question drafted by the participants and gave them feedback on how they could improve and the ways in which they can avoid soliciting generic responses from Ministers in Parliament.

Lastly, participants were taught how to chart and plan their advocacy, build their network and identify possible friends and enemies that could help them as advocates.

Day 4 – Election Process and the Formation of Government

Facilitator – Asraf Sharafi from Bersih.

Day 4 was mostly an interactive session that began with an introduction to the right to vote and discussion of the Malaysian electoral system. Participants had many questions about the electoral process although, most were technical in nature.

A total of four simulation exercises were carried out in which participants took part playing various roles in a mock election, in a bid to understand the electoral process in Malaysia. The simulation began with the announcement of the dissolution of Parliament and ended with the formation of a new government post-election.