The verbal war between the top two Wanita leaders has begun with Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz firing (read here and here ) her first salvo a day after her deputy Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil announced her intention to challenge her in the coming party polls.
Rafidah hit out at Shahrizat for breaking the promise made earlier that she would not challenge her.
In her 11-page handwritten statement to the press yesterday, Rafidah said her deputy even said ‘My word is my honour’, that she would abide by the advice of the party’s top leaders and had accepted the (June) transition plan.
But Shahrizat disclosed - as many have suspected - that she had agreed to Wanita’s transition plan under duress.
“Can you imagine if I had declined the transition plan in front of 700 to 800 people, including the Prime Minister,” she told the Star.
According to Shahrizat, Rafidah had sprung the June 2009 plan on her at a Wanita function at the Putra World Trade Centre on the day it was announced (Aug 4), without any prior consultation with her or the executive council.
Shahrizat, who admits that she has always been a “yes man” to Rafidah said:
“I am always listening to Tan Sri. I have positioned myself as her deputy. It is not my habit to offer anything that I was not asked. This is something I have conditioned myself for over the years. I am a party person.
"She is my boss.”
The rest of the report below:
Rafidah, who earned the nickname 'Iron Lady' while serving as Trade Minister for two decades before being dumped from the cabinet earlier this year, had hoped to remain as Wanita chief until June 2009.“Throughout the years, you never find me offering opinions, because Tan Sri is a very strong leader and she speaks her mind. I look at myself as a backbencher. This is to maintain peace,” she said.
Shahrizat said she took time to come to a decision because she had to consider the effect of her decision on the movement.
“But once I have made up my mind, I don’t turn back,” she said.
She said although she had called for divisions to respect the transition plan, the ground was volatile.
“The mood was that they don’t want top leaders to make decisions for them. They were resentful that we assume they will accept the plan. And I bore the brunt for a long time.
“The women wanted to be given a choice and felt that their right to exercise their right had been taken away. This was putting the Wanita structure in danger. The women were angry with me for agreeing (to the plan) because the Wanita chief will be acting and there would be no deputy.
“They wanted me to stand up and fight against it. But at that time, I did not have the strength to fight,” she said, adding that the straw that broke the camel’s back was the last Wanita exco
meeting, where she was not given a chance to express her views. The Star
13 comments:
Force to accept?
Huh? I think we dont need a weak Wanita UMNO leader.
If she can't speak her mind in front of 700 umno members, how do we expect her to do that in from 1000 or 5000 opposition members?
Agree with Sdr Nobisha. And she admits she has been a "yes man" all along.
Haiyo! How to lead the movement then? She will also expect the members to be like her. Dont ask questiona. Just angguk-angguki.
Like that cannot-lah.
Disgusting!!! Angguk angguk fler has got a dream to be a leader.
The truth is, she is not sincere in whatever she does.
Wanita UMNO better be careful or else you will get A PAK LAH in Wanita wing. So kick Shahrizat blonde out of the wing for a better future WANITA UMNO.
It is good that the post is being contested - this is democracy at work - rather than passing the baton to the next person; from the No 1 to the No 2 in the party hierarchy.
Good. Fight it out like it should be. Rafidah has been holding the post for far too long and has come to believe it is hers until eternity.
There's is increasing number of wanita grassroots who are demanding that she should step down. Why mak cik Rafidah thinks she's the ONLY wanita who can lead?
Say what you like about Rafidah, she can easily put the whole bunch of Cabinet ministers in her pocket.
She aint called the Iron Lady for nuthin.
Rafidah should run for the deputy president post.
She belongs in that league, not in the company of kaum ibu.
Tak payah nak bertekak. Siapa cakap apa or who says what.
Just leave the Wanita delegates to choose who they think is capable of leading the movement for the next three years.
Tapi sekiranya Kak Ijat menang and assuming that they both (Shahrizat & Rafidah) play it fair, then they must close ranks. At least learn something from the loser and the victor in the recent American elections.
Kalau Sharizat menang, jangan pula Rafidah tarik muka dan tangan if the winner hulur tangan untuk bersalaman, like she did to Dato Dr Zahara - di depan khalayak ramai dan penonton televisyen. So arrogant and "ungentlemanly".
Hats off to Rafidah, seorang politikus yang amat licik mengatur strategi menjerat Sharizat yang termakan umpan dan akhirnya terjerat dalan percaturan "Iron Lady".
She's one hell of a gutsy lady, capable but can be ruthless too...to stay in power.
Like someone wrote somewhere, Rafidah isn’t giving up because she wants to be appointed to the Cabinet when Najib takes over.
She was sore that she was left out of the Cabinet despite having retained her Kuala Kangsar Parliamentary seat. And to spite her (for asking Pak Lah to step down and to reign in his SIL) the PM had to be appoint Sharizat to a post equivalent a Ministrial post.
Bottom line: It has everything to do with self preservation & SELF INTEREST.
Shahrizat flip flop is out afterall she quite old going to be 56th yrs old.
Being the next Ketua Wanita Rafidah have another 3 yrs to groom the next Ketua Wanita , Dtk Kamilia as deputy also quite old 58 yrs old .
All the 3 leaders going over 60 for the PRU 13 ( Rafidah coming to 70 )
Rafidah need to identify the next Ketua and Deputy to lead Wanita for PRU 13 to be a younger leader age around 50 yrs old 5 yrs from now . this is the best time for Rafidah to revive Wanita from makcik makcik image.Rakyat looking for a younger and dynamic leader .
Why is Rafidah making a big issue that Shahrizat is challenging her?
Oh because she is not honouring her word. Dont pretend to be naive. Since when have politicians, especially those in Umno believe in the word "honour"?
Why is she crying foul that 73 divisions want Shahrizat to contest? So what? Is she afraid of losing her position?
Just fight it out lah.
Go Shahrizat go!
The battle line has been drawn – a do or die contest between a mentor and her protege.
The stake is high and whoever loses is finished politically.
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