Empower

15/04/2026

We recently spoke on BFM about the urgent need to address underrepresentation of women in politics, and why legal reform matters. As Malaysia heads towards GE16, Projek30% is advocating for the Gender Parity in Political Representation Act (Akta Projek 30%), a binding framework to ensure at least 30% women candidates. Association of Women Lawyers Kasthuri Patto

As it stands, women only account for 13% of Malaysia's parliamentarians, despite making up 50% of Malaysia's overall population. On the road towards the 16th General Elections, civil society organisations, led by the NGO EMPOWER, are pushing for a Gender Parity in Political Representation Act (GPPRA...

14/04/2026

Thank you to Ketua Wanita Srikandi Parti Pribumi BERSATU Malaysia, Dato Nolee Radzi, and her team for meeting with the Projek30% team yesterday to discuss our Akta Projek30% proposal and for sharing valuable feedback. Dato’ Nolee has been a very vocal supporter of more women in politics and has been an advocate in strengthening the ecosystem for women to thrive in the political landscape. She was also present at the Projek30% launch in November 2024. Empower was joined by our colleagues from Association of Women Lawyers and CSO Platform for Reform

10/04/2026

We are utterly devastated this morning to hear the heartbreaking news of the passing of Mohammad Fadhil Tan Razman Tan, fondly known as Abby Tan.

Abby was a Bahasa Isyarat Malaysia (BIM) interpreter who was with us during our Enhancing Political Participation Among the Deaf Community (EPPD) workshop last year. He was a kind and enthusiastic young individual whose passion and skill as an interpreter left a lasting impression on all of us. We are very grateful to have had the opportunity to work with him in creating a space where members of the deaf community were able to learn and communicate freely about politics and how to engage with it.

Empower extends our deepest condolences to his family, and to members of the deaf community during this difficult time. His warmth and sincerity will truly be missed.

03/04/2026

The Projek 30% team met with YB Teo Nie Ching (张念群) yesterday to present our Akta Projek30% proposal. It was a productive discussion, and we thank YB for her time and for her honest, straight to the point feedback, which we will be taking forward as we refine the draft.

We also appreciate the presence of Ireen Goh and Anabelle Chong from YB Teo’s office during the meeting.

Empower thanks our Projek30% colleagues Dato’ Ong Bee Leng (Penang Women's Development Corporation-PWDC ) and Robert Hii (CSO Platform for Reform) for their support during the discussion.

16/03/2026

On the 27th of February, EMPOWER launched a proposed Gender Parity Political Representation Act aimed at mandating political parties to field at least 30% women candidates in elections. The following panel discussion on how to advance women’s political representation hosted by Melisa Idris was recorded during the launch event.

Civil society groups have drafted a Gender Parity Political Representation Act to push parties to field at least 30% women candidates. But beyond legislation...

16/03/2026

Gabungan pertubuhan masyarakat sivil hari ini mengecam tindakan polis dan kerajaan yang menjalankan siasatan terhadap aktivis serta ahli akademik di bawah Seksyen 124B Kanun Keseksaan.

Setakat ini, seramai 14 individu telah dipanggil memberi keterangan oleh Polis Diraja Malaysia, termasuk wakil NGO serta ahli akademik.

Gabungan pertubuhan masyarakat sivil yang diketuai oleh Bersih mengecam tindakan polis dan kerajaan yang menjalankan siasatan terhadap aktivis serta ahli aka...

08/03/2026

On International Women’s Day, EMPOWER stands with women and girls everywhere. Together, we continue the fight for equality, justice and rights for all.

07/03/2026

At least six children have been arrested under SOSMA in February 2026, which clearly disregards the protections under the Child Act 2001.

Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM) has launched the BEBAS KANAK-KANAK SOSMA (Free Children From SOSMA) campaign, abbreviated as , across all social media platforms to create awareness about this issue.

They are calling on members of the public to join their campaign. Here’s what you can do:

1. Take a photo of a container (“bekas”) and post it on your preferred social media platform.
2. Include the hashtag with a caption like the one shown in the poster.
3. Tag us at / .
Let’s come together to support this campaign.

You can read more about the arrests here:
https://www.suaram.net/post/stop-arresting-children-under-sosm

04/03/2026

Last Friday, we officially launched the Gender Parity in Political Representation Act (Akta Projek30%), and we are still overwhelmed by the incredible support in the room we received.

Thank you to everyone who showed up, spoke up, and stood in solidarity with us. Your feedback, reflections, and presence mean so much as we push forward to ensure at least 30% women’s representation by GE16!

We would also like to extend our sincere appreciation to Malaysiakini for partnering with us to make this launch possible, and to the Association of Women Lawyers for working tirelessly to get the Bill ready in time.

A heartfelt thank you also to our moderator Melisa Idris for creating such an engaging and lively session and to our panellists YB Rodziah Ismail, YB Wong Shu Qi, Pn Ainie Haziqah, and Dr. Syaza Shukri for sharing for their honest thoughts and insightful reflections.

Missed the launch? Watch the livestream by Malaysiakini:
Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/live/DRUVInPgsbQ?si=1gGS518k2Ry-zkDz
Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/live/mfxTxX5C_cE?si=se4-Kggi8MTxEsvzA

02/03/2026

The Akta Projek 30% was officially launched last Friday! Many thanks to all who attended. Our target is clear: at least 30% candidates by GE16!

On February 27, Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor (EMPOWER), a civil society organisation promoting women’s participation in politics, launched a proposed Gender Parity in Political Representation Act (GPPRA), also known as the Akta Projek30%.

24/02/2026

Thank you to the Minister of Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat KPWKM, YB Dato’ Sri Hajah Nancy Shukri and her wonderful team for meeting with the Projek 30% team from EMPOWER and Martabat PJ for an engagement session on the proposed Gender Parity in Political Representation Bill (Akta Projek 30%).

We managed to brief the Minister on the key points of our proposed act and welcomed her feedback and view on it. This is the second time we have met with YB Nancy since our campaign began, and we sincerely appreciate her time and continued openness in engaging with our proposal.