Shahrizat to challenge Rafidah for Wanita UMNO leadership - Malaysiakini

PETALING JAYA: Barely a day after Wanita Umno chief Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz announced that the wing’s power transition plan would remain as planned in June, her deputy Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil has sprung a surprise.

She has decided to challenge Rafidah for the Wanita Umno leadership. Highly-placed sources said that Shahrizat had made up her mind to go for the wing’s top post which Rafidah has held for more than 20 years.

Shahrizat is expected to take Kuala Kangsar Wanita division chief and lawyer Datuk Kamiliah Ibrahim as her running mate.

Sources said Shahrizat wanted to exhaust all avenues before deciding on a challenge. But the straw that broke the camel’s back was the marathon Wanita exco meeting on Monday that saw Rafidah loyalists bringing out the knives.

Rafidah’s loyalists insisted that the transition plan go ahead at the five-and-a-half-hour meeting.

Shahrizat was chastised for issuing a press statement — a day before the exco meeting — in which she asked Rafidah to consider going in March instead of June.

One exco member said she was taken aback by the language that several of the critics used.

“They ran her down, insulted her and bullied her into agreeing,” said the exco member.

Her critics were also upset about the nominations she got and impli-ed she had conspired with Kamilia to get the endorsement.

She was even criticised for not inviting Rafidah to her Hari Raya open house. It is understood she received scores of SMSes after news broke out of the Wanita exco proceedings and it pushed her towards her decision.

Some scolded her for caving in to Rafidah, others expressed disappointment and said they felt betrayed, while others urged her to change her mind.

An aide said she spent half the night reading the SMSes, some of which were “hate mail” because some of the women were angry she had not resisted the transition plan.

Moreover, she has won 72 nominations against the 118 secured by Rafidah for the Wanita leadership.

Segambut Wanita chief and film producer Ruhani Abdul Rahman sa-id Shahrizat should go for it because “we are ready for a change.”

“A June transition would make Shahrizat an acting Wanita leader without a deputy for the next three years. What is the point of that?” said Ruhani.(TheStar)

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Rafidah asked to step down by March by Sharizat

KUALA LUMPUR: Fast forward the Wanita Umno leadership transition from June to March. That was the call from its deputy head Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil to her boss Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz yesterday.

In a statement, Shahrizat said she would bring up the matter with Rafidah at the wing's executive council meeting at the party headquarters in the Putra World Trade Centre at 10.30am today.

Shahrizat said the statement was in response to the many members who had asked her to declare her stand on the transition plan.

"I respect the plan. However, taking into account the current developments, I want to discuss the matter with Rafidah.

"I request Rafidah's wisdom and cooperation in bringing forward the plan to March in line with the party's general assembly."

Rafidah responded by saying she had yet to read Shahrizat's statement.

"I will comment on it tomorrow," she said via a text message.

Rafidah's plan, outlined at a special briefing for Wanita Umno divisional leaders on Aug 4, had caught many by surprise. Sources said she did not consult other party leaders.

She had proposed that she and Shahrizat defend their seats in the party polls in March. She promised to hand over the movement's leadership to Shahrizat in June, and urged divisions not to nominate any challengers for the top two posts in Wanita Umno to avoid in-fighting.

In response, Shahrizat stated she would defend her deputy head post.

But since the divisional meetings started on Oct 9, many divisions have ignored the plan, as 73 of them nominated Shahrizat for the Wanita Umno head's post. Rafidah received 117 nominations, while another division -- Pokok Sena -- has yet to meet.

Shahrizat said she wanted to seek an amicable solution with Rafidah and Datuk Kamilia Ibrahim, who has been nominated to contest the deputy head's post.

"Our decision should not weaken Wanita Umno, instead put it on a more stable and united platform."

She said Rafidah's plan was to ensure there was no power struggle in the movement.

"The plan was to ensure a smooth transition between Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Datuk Seri Najib Razak without Wanita Umno providing any distraction.

"Any contest in Wanita Umno would rock the stability as we are the party's backbone."

Sources said yesterday that the Wanita Umno meeting today would be fiery.

"Rafidah does not take things lying down. She still has the fighting spirit and is upset that Shahrizat has broken her promise," an executive council member said.

"To prove a point, Rafidah would most likely defend her post as she has nothing to lose."

Another member said the 73 nominations that Shahrizat received was an indication that Wanita members wanted her to lead.

"This is despite her saying that she did not want to challenge Rafidah. She must not disappoint her supporters."

Rafidah, who won the Wanita Umno deputy head's post in 1980, became its head in 1984. She was returned unopposed in 1986, 1990 and 1993. She lost the post in 1996 but made a comeback in 2000 and was returned unopposed in 2004.

Shahrizat won the deputy head's post in 2000 and was returned unopposed in 2004 (NST)

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