In August, Rafidah had agreed to step down in June next year to pave the way for Shahrizat to take over the movement's leadership, but the postponement of the party polls to March made many Wanita Umno leaders urge Rafidah to reconsider the transition plan.Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz announced on Friday that she will defend the Wanita Umno chief's post in the party's elections in March, Bernama reports.
Rafidah, 65, said she appreciated and respected the nominations she received from 117 divisions.
"I leave it to the delegates, who represent the grassroots, to determine their preferred leader for the 2009-2011 period," she said in an 11-page statement today.
On Thursday, Wanita Umno deputy chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, who received 73 nominations, announced that she would contest for the movement's top post.
The decision has effectively scuttled the movement's leadership transition plan in June 2009 as announced by Rafidah in August.
In the statement, Rafidah also expressed disappointment that the transition plan was being disputed and rejected three months after she made the announcement.
She added that Datuk Seri Shahrizat herself who had agreed to abide by the transition plan was willing to change her stand when she received enough nominations to contest for the top post.
Had the matter been brought up before the nomination process started, the Wanita Umno executive council would have scrapped the transition plan, said Rafidah.
"And there would be no hesitation on my part to allow the divisions to nominate whomever they want for the posts of Wanita chief and deputy chief," she said.The objection, however, only came to light after sufficient nominations were obtained for the posts, she said.
"Only then they come out with all kinds of excuses to object the plan," she said. Read here to continue...
Last weekend, the Wanita Umno exco reaffirmed its earlier decision for the top two posts in the wing not to be contested, but Kuala Kangsar Wanita chief, Datuk Kamilia Ibrahim, who has already qualified to run for No 2, insisted that the Wanita Umno exco had no right to decide on the movement's leadership.
Kamilia, who is also a Wanita Umno exco member, has won the No 2 post uncontested since Shahrizat has decided to go for the top post.
6 comments:
Rafidah should have just leave like years ago.she has been in service for far too damn long.the women in UMNO need new face as their leader.they just dont feel "moving forward" when they have the same leader for many many years.
precisely that Shahrizat has been given no choices.what's good for her if she will only play as leader and not became a real leader when the power transition takes place.this is "now or never" for Shahrizat.either she pass this test with flying colors or she will only just fall short on her attempt for the top post.
the bottom line is,those who are the grassroots are in favor of will win the chief seat definitely.
I suppose Rafidah has a right to be upset with Shahrizat for breaking the promise not to challenge her.
But in the firts place why should the no-contest for the top two posts be imposed? For whose benefit?
I think both of them arent being sincere. The no contest rule is supposedly to maintain unity yet in the same breath, the leaders talk of democracy.
What a load of rubbish!
It seems Rafidah imposed the no-contest ruling and sprang a surprise with her "transition plan" without consulting the exco memebrs. She just buldozed it.
The grassroots were not consulted. of course the majority of the exco memebers being her supporters agreed to it.
That's Rafidah for you.
Shahrizat being Sharizat, dared not disagree. Mati lo!
Guess that is the situation.
Under the circumstances, what else could Shahrizat do?
True to form, Rafidah will defend her post.To her, integrity is more important than the possibility of being humiliated.AAB have meekly bowed to pressure, but not Rafidah who shows her courage to defend her post and not disappoint her supporters. AAB gave up , using the pretext of party unity, and in the process, disappointed his supporters.Both have their so-called transitions.Their deputies similarly gave their "words of honour"The similarity ends there!
Haiyaah, tok mom,
All this talk about betrayal, unity, honour bla, bla, bla is nothing but bollocks!
In politics there is no such thing as permanent friends.
Honour? Rafidah should know better. Wasn't she the one who cried and broke the heels of her shoes on stage when she rushed to Tun Dr Mahathir when he announced he was stepping down witnesssed by millions on TV during the Umno assembly?
And yet she was among those who turned against the old man when he was no longer in power.
Melayu mudah lupa. Sheeesh!
Rafidah didnt seem to make too much noise when Kamilia announced she was contesting the deputy chief post.
I thought the transition plan includes no contest for the top two posts.
Doesnt that lend some credence to the rumours going on that it is part of her (Rafidah's) strategy - her unseen hand at work - to oust Sharizat by planting Kamilia to go for the No. 2 post & unseat her deputy?
Btw isn’t Kamilia the Wanita chief of Kuala Kangsar, the constituency whose MP is Rafidah?
So there goes the so-called Transition plan down the drain.
Talk about unity when the numuro uno herself is fighting with her deputy over the most coveted post in the movement.
Leadership by example? Right. We have one who wont let go afterre more than 20 years helming the movement and another so flippant - flipping and flopping - like the one who will soon be stepping down as PM.
Post a Comment