Five year sabbatical gave me a fresh perspective, says Shahrizat
SYDI ALIF01 Mar 2023 01:29pm
Former Umno Wanita chief Tan Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil - Facebook
After stepping down from politics in 2018, the former Cabinet minister had confirmed on Feb 17 that she is making a comeback on a quest to reclaim her spot as the Wanita Umno chief.
She believed the five years has helped her gain a better picture of what the party's wing needs to do revamp itself.
Shahrizat said she was able to engage in conversations without fear or favour, and figure out exactly what the people want from Wanita.
"I have been able to look towards a vision of building rather than staying the course with the status quo," she was quoted New Straits Times (NST).
The former women, family and community development minister said Wanita members approached her a year ago to get back onto the field.
However, she only took their invite seriously after 2022 polls as there were no Wanita Umno members in the Cabinet.
Acknowledging the presence of Datuk Sri Azalina Othman Said, who may not hail from Wanita wing, she admitted that the law and institutional reform minister is one of the strongest leaders.
On the other hand, Shahrizat, declined to comment on incumbent Datuk Dr Seri Noraini Ahmad's performance as the wing's chief, refusing to tear down the work of another woman leader.
Furthermore, she revealed that she had been talking to other women leaders and identified some areas where Wanita could and should be advocating such as more meaningful female participation in Malaysian politics.
She questioned if the party's decision to field only 10 per cent of the 1.3 million party's wing members as election candidates was reflective of the Wanita's potential to lead and mobilise.
