Dato Sri Chong Eng
Bukit Mertajam Women Right’s Awareness Association (WRAA) – Founder of Association Women
The majority of the people in Pahang’s Jerantut New Village, where I was born, made their living by tapping rubber. They would work continuously day after day, leaving in the dark around two or three in the morning to go to the rubber growing areas. I silently resolved to avoid becoming caught in the same cycle as the majority of the women in my community after seeing this way of life.
For this reason, I wanted to be a teacher even in elementary school. I hoped that schooling would help me escape the new village’s restrictions. We were unable to obtain appropriate education and knowledge because we lived in a remote location. I knew nothing about politics, even in high school, and I never would have thought that I would ever get involved in politics. However, I discovered Penang by chance, and it was the start of an entirely new adventure.
The Penang general election of 1995 saw the Democratic Action Party (DAP) lose badly. At a period when I was referred to as the “lone woman standing,” I was the only opposition representative in the state parliament and the only one who was able to hold onto the Batu Lanchang Assembly seat.
The party only managed to hold one state seat in Penang for three consecutive terms during those most difficult years.
The political environment experienced a significant change in 2008. The new Penang state government was established by the DAP and its supporters. However, I lost the chance to serve in the state government because of a last-minute modification in my candidacy, which led to me being fielded for a parliamentary seat instead.
After more than ten years, I was nominated to run for the Padang Lalang state seat in 2013 and made my comeback to the Penang State Legislative Assembly, but this time I had company. I returned to the government as a presidential candidate. I could finally see the moonlight at that point since the clouds had parted, and I honestly felt that persistence pays off.
It was my responsibility as an independent member to speak out and advocate for the people. However, I had to provide suggestions for policy, enhance governance, and advance the welfare of people in my capacity as a state executive councillor.
I addressed two main topics in my initial speech back in the state assembly:
Empowerment of women, particularly working mothers — I called on the government to establish daycare centers and after-school care centers.
Flood mitigation is the process of addressing and resolving persistent flood issues.
I was also the DAP’s representative for Women, Family, and Community Development while I was in Parliament. Both government and opposition MPs were deeply impacted by my repeated support of women’s rights.
During my 10 years as a Penang state executive councillor, from 2013 to 2023, I led a number of gender equality initiatives:
The goal of gender-responsive budgeting and gender-inclusive policies was to guarantee that women hold at least 40% of positions in decision-making across the board.
Sidang Wanita, or the Women’s Assembly, aims to promote women’s political engagement.
Women and Family Development Committees (all-women teams) provided community-based training for female leaders.
The COVID-19 epidemic caused a sharp increase in domestic violence cases. I oversaw the creation of a Safe Family Policy by the state government, trained volunteers in conjunction with non-governmental organizations, and set up support centers to assist victims during times of crisis. Because of these efforts, Penang became a national leader in the empowerment of women.
In 1995, I became the first woman to hold a position on the Central Executive Committee of the DAP, and in 1999, I was one of the first women to enter Parliament, two significant turning points in the party’s history. A “30% Women’s Quota” for the central committee was ultimately established by the party after years of work. The tragedy is that when the policy went into effect, I was not reappointed.
This taught me an essential lesson: in politics, strategy and game-playing skills are just as important as hard labor. The governmental rules of engagement for the ruling and opposition parties are very different.
I never imagined that I would one day join Penang’s key decision-making team in Parliament, having grown up in a little new village in Pahang. In Malaysia, very few women possess such a broad range of political experience. I believe my experience can serve as an example for others. No matter how modest or small your origins, if you persevere and stay true to what you believe in, even a girl from a little new village can make a lasting impact on the history of the country.
—— 拿督斯里 章瑛 Dato Sri Chong Eng