JOHOR BARU, Feb 7 — A Johor Umno leader urged party members to be rational and act fairly should they wish to call for Umno Women’s chief Datuk Seri Noraini Ahmad to not defend her position in the party elections next month.
Umno Wanita national exco Datuk Sharifah Azizah Syed Zain said that it was inappropriate to urge Noraini not to defend the party’s national Wanita chief post just because there are some who are dissatisfied with how she has led the wing since 2018.
She said many failed to see that Noraini had held the position when the party was at its lowest after it lost the 14th general election (GE14) that same year.
“All parties need to be rational, act fairly, and not blame Noraini, who is also the Parit Sulong MP, due to baseless allegations,” said Sharifah Azizah when contacted by several news outlets today.
Sharifah Azizah, who is also the Kluang Umno division’s Women’s wing chief, reminded critics that even after 2018, the country was also hit by the Covid-19 pandemic for two years, which made it difficult for Wanita Umno to organise programmes.
The Mahkota assemblyman said there were many challenges during Noraini’s tenure as leader of the women’s wing.
“She has sacrificed a lot and did her best for Wanita Umno. So why do these people want to urge her to step down?” she questioned.
On Sunday, Berita Harian quoted Azwati Abdul Halim, who was named as a Titiwangsa Wanita Umno member, as saying that Noraini has been urged to not contest her position in the internal Umno polls next month.
This was so that the former minister can be responsible for or correct her weaknesses in leading Wanita Umno, Azwati reportedly said.
“Why did the grassroots choose to reject Noraini? Why do 147 Wanita Umno division chiefs no longer support Noraini and want someone else as their leader?
“Noraini knows why,” she was quoted as saying.
The situation was also triggered last Saturday when it was reported that the majority of Umno divisional Wanita leaders wanted former chief Tan Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil to return to lead the women’s wing after the party’s election next month.
Kota Melaka Umno Wanita chief Datuk Haryaty Hamdzah was quoted as saying that a total of 147 of the party’s divisional women’s wing leaders made the decision during a meeting with Shahrizat recently.
Elections for the Umno divisions and its supreme council will be held simultaneously on March 18.
The elections for the party wings — Wanita, Youth, and Puteri — will similarly be held simultaneously, but earlier, on March 11.
The Umno polls had been deferred several times, initially due to the Covid-19 pandemic and later due to the 15th general election last year.
