COMMENT | Enough about female representation in Dewan

COMMENT | In December 2020, I was approached by a representative of a female minister (I will let the readers guess who this is). According to the representative, the YB was planning for a film to be made about her journey in the world of politics, especially on her determination to have 30 percent female representatives in the Parliament.

A copy of the concept proposal prepared by another team of writers was forwarded to me as a reference, and I was requested to produce a new draft. Apparently, the YB preferred the storyline to be (loosely) based on her own instead of a fictional sort.

I was given several pointers to be included in the script:

• She was raised by strict parents who instilled in her values that moulded her into a God-fearing religious person.

• She came from a humble beginning; thus, she has great compassion and empathy for the less fortunate.

• Her journey in politics, particularly within her party, soared as she fought for human rights, social justice, and women’s cause.

• Her fight for women’s rights is acknowledged widely within the country and in the international arena.

The objective of the project was clear – to paint the YB as championing the women agenda in our country.

I did some research on the YB, asked the representative a series of questions, referred to the pointers given and cringed a lot before I finalised my own concept proposal of the film...