Rafidah Vs Shahrizat On Women's Rights...

When you and I talk about women's rights, we'd do so with easy abandon, with nary a hint of wanting to outdo each.
We'd invoke all that we know about the issue. We'd discuss. Just discuss. Because, we're women. We're women who have no interest in winning a political post, no ambition. We're women.

Now when two contenders (for the Wanita Umno chief post) touch on the subject, it's about who has not been doing more than the other. Who has not been doing anything.

Incumbent Wanita Umno chief Rafidah Aziz and her challenger, (Wanita Umno deputy chief) Shahrizat Abdul Jalil were crossing swords on this issue at a meet-the-delegates gathering in Johor Baru.

I was not there so I'm depending on newspaper reports. Their exchanges could well have been very gracious, civil and polite.

According to the NST, Rafidah asked critics not to accuse the wing of not fighting for women's rights hard enough.

This fighting for women's economic and social issues is really the job of the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry, she pointed out.

"We (Wanita Umno) are a political party, don't forget that. Our job is to help Umno continue to lead the country in general elections."

"Maybe one of the reasons why we lost our two-thirds majority in Parliament and five states was because some of our women (in Wanita Umno) had lost focus of our political goals.

"Maybe they were concentrating too much on women's rights, whereas it is the ministry which should be doing that."

Wow....we know where that's going to.

Shahrizat, as we all know was the women, family and community development minister until the general election last year.
(She was dropped from the Cabinet after the elections but was immediately made advisor to the ministry).

Shahrizat, who was present at the function responded by saying that the ministry had always strived to further women's issues.

"We have done a lot in respect of laws, policies and rules concerning women. We have been fulfilling our responsibilities."

But, she hastened to add, progress had to begin with Wanita Umno.

If Wanita Umno does not defend women's rights, the country will not move forward.

"Women will not be heard if Wanita Umno does not pick up the voices of our women," Shahrizat said.

So, we generally have an idea of what was going on there --both women trying to shape a perception (among the delegates) on who is more fitting to lead the wing. Who screwed up and who didn't.

The election is just around the corner and it is expected to be very stiff, very keen.

Since Shahrizat made known her intention last year to topple her one-time mentor, Rafidah made no secret of that sense of betrayal. The subterfuge, the duplicity.

But as they say, I suppose we ain't seen nothing yet.

For the NST report, click HERE.