Battle royale to be Wanita chief
A battle royale may be brewing in Wanita Umno after deputy chief Shahrizat Abdul Jalil won a total of 36 nominations for the wing’s topmost post - just three short of the minimum needed to stand against incumbent chief Rafidah Aziz.
A battle royale may be brewing in Wanita Umno after deputy chief Shahrizat Abdul Jalil won a total of 36 nominations for the wing’s topmost post - just three short of the minimum needed to stand against incumbent chief Rafidah Aziz.
The two women have agreed not to challenge each other and both have already qualified for the No 1 and No 2 posts they respectively hold.
Yet, many Wanita leaders want Rafidah to step down in favour of Shahrizat earlier than their agreed power transition time-line of June 2009.
“Shahrizat is the cautious type,” said a party watcher. “She won’t jump the gun or shoot off her mouth. She will wait and see, calculate and recalculate before she decides.”
No choice
Yet others in the wing believe the younger woman may have little choice but to accede to the groundswell of support to take on Rafidah for the topmost post.
If she does, then Kuala Kangsar Wanita head Kamilia Ibrahim is in line to contest the No 2 spot. Kamilia currently has 26 nominations versus the minimum of 29 needed.
Rafidah has garnered 75 nominations for the Wanita No 1 post.
