SHAH ALAM, Nov 16 — A woman should succeed Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to become the ninth prime minister, former PKR women’s chief Zuraida Kamaruddin said today.

“I don’t think it is unusual or impossible for a woman to become this country’s prime minister.

“Although we want Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to be the eighth prime minister, (but) we want either the ninth, (or) tenth prime minister to be from PKR and if possible, be among the women,” she said in her speech during PKR Women’s Wing Annual National Congress 2018 today.

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is currently PM, but Pakatan Harapan parties have agreed that Anwar will be his successor.

The Ampang MP, in her speech, also said she had pushed for more women to be decision-makers in the 1Malaysia People’s Housing (PR1MA) scheme.

“Recently, (Prime Minister) Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad wrote to me of appointing directors to PR1MA.

“I wrote back to (Tun) Dr Mahathir and said this doesn’t fill up the 30 percent women quota, and I asked him to reshuffle the board and make sure there are more women in it,” she said.

Zuraida, who is also Minister of Housing and Local Development, added that the women working in the government are not just there to fill up quotas, and that they are qualified for the tasks at hand.

Newly-minted PKR Women’s chief Haniza Mohd Talha said earlier that in 2008, the movement became the first political organisation which called for a 30 per cent quota of women as decision-makers.

“That was the milestone to the political landscape in Malaysia because no one dared to bring up the motion before,” she added.

She reiterated that the quota was later extended to women’s leadership in various sectors of the federal and state government, local councillors and corporate sector.

“We will continue to make a difference to women in Malaysia by speaking out. And this is a legacy that will be continued by the next line-up of leaders,” Haniza added.

Haniza was announced as the new PKR Women’s chief, replacing Zuraida, after she defeated Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh in the party polls which concluded recently after a nine-week process.