Women in politics: PAP’s Rahayu Mahzam an ‘accidental politician’

SINGAPORE - Minister of State for Health and Digital Development and Information Rahayu Mahzam describes herself as an “accidental politician”.

The 44-year-old says she never sought to run for elections when she first got involved with the People’s Action Party (PAP) as a volunteer, then as an activist.

She had been involved in community work since her teenage years. This intensified when she started work as a lawyer and joined various committees, such as those under the National Library Board and government feedback unit Reach.

She was asked to stand for elections in 2011 but turned the PAP down, and again in 2015, when she agreed.

“I was asked, and initially I had reservations, as at that juncture I was just starting to volunteer at the branches with MPS (Meet-the-People Sessions). Then I was asked again, and I said yes, and the rest is history,” she told The Straits Times.

Then there was the “misunderstanding” about her husband’s views on her involvement.

In 2011, when she first broached the issue with her then husband-to-be, they decided that it was not the right time as they wanted to start a family,

A few years later, she sounded him out on the issue again. He said okay.

But it turned out that he was on board with her volunteering, but less so with her joining politics.

“I must say it was a misunderstanding on my part… I had thought that we already had that conversation. But actually, when it did happen, eventually I realised that he was not so comfortable with it,” she said.

Nevertheless, he was supportive as she quit her job at the Syariah Court, went back into practice as a lawyer, went through in-vitro fertilisation and got pregnant, and then miscarried – all while getting into the thick of politics and campaigning for the 2015 General Election.

But politics took its toll after the couple had a child in 2017. Their son, Ayden, has Down syndrome.

“(My husband) was getting the scraps of my time,” Ms Rahayu recounted. “It just made me pause and really work on it, commit to him as much as I committed to my residents.”

She cites other expectations she has had to manage, such as that of how mothers should be more present.

On one occasion, a well-meaning parent at her child’s school told her that children with special needs thrive much better when their mothers are not working.

The words cut deep for Ms Rahayu, who already often feels she is short-changing her son.

What has made a difference is having an ecosystem of support for her son, including her husband, parents, siblings, in-laws and extended family.

But conversations on how to create this ecosystem must involve both men and women, Ms Rahayu said.

“If it becomes a women-only thing, then it’s a zero-sum game,” she added.

Ms Rahayu is not the only woman MP to have had a child while in office. Others include Ms Tin Pei Ling, Ms Hany Soh and Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin.

Ms Rahayu cites her parliamentary colleagues as role models who have shown her that it can be done, and that the ecosystem does provide support for women politicians in such situations.

For women thinking of joining politics under the PAP’s banner, Ms Rahayu had this to say: “It’s going to be challenging; it’s going to be tough. But also know that you’re not doing it alone – there’s a whole ecosystem of support that exists.”

She sees her job as a female politician as an honour that comes with the daily opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives and champion causes that matter.

“These are things that women should know about, (especially) as we navigate the next phase of Singapore’s existence,” said Ms Rahayu, adding that there are many areas in which women can contribute ideas and strategies.