PARTI Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) has created history by fielding women candidates in six of the seven Parliamentary seats (66.7%) the party is contesting in its national poll debut. One of its two candidates for state polls is also female.
Leading that charge in PBM are its president designate Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin who is defending her Ampang seat in a nine-corner fight and party deputy president Haniza Talha who’s vying for the Hulu Selangor parliamentary constituency.
The caretaker Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister had won the Ampang seat with a 41,956 majority in the 2918 election under the Bersatu-Pakatan Harapan PH) ticket.
Zuraida will face-off with Rodziah Ismail (PKR); Ivone Low Yi Wen (MCA): Sasha Lyna Abdul Latif (Bersatu): Lai Wai Chong (Warisan) and Nurul Ashikin Mabahwi (Pejuang). Others in the fight for the seat include three independents, Muhammad Shafiq Izwan Mohd Yunos, Tan Hua Meng and R. Raveendran.
A strong advocate for women’s right, she is also the founder and president of the Council of Malaysian Women Political Leaders (COMWEL) and president of the Foundation of Women Community in Sports (FOWCUS).
Meanwhile, Haniza will be engaged in a six-corner fight with Datuk T. Mohan (MIC), Dr Sathia Prakash Nadarajan (PKR), Mohd Hasnizan Harun (PAS), Harumaini Omar (Pejuang) and an independent, Azlinda Baroni.
Haniza who contested under the PKR-PH ticket in the 2018 poll had won the Lembah Jaya state seat in Selangor with a 14,790 majority in a four-cornered fight with UMNO, PAS and PRM (Parti Rakyat Malaysia).
Other PBM women Parliamentary candidates are its Wanita chief Dr Daroyah Alwi (Kapar) and Dayang Rusimah @ Raynie Mohd Din (Labuan). The party’s Nazmahwati Walli, a businesswoman, is vying for the Bugaya state seat.
Commenting on the historic move, Zuraida, the caretaker Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities said this was in line with the party’s agenda on women empowerment.
“PBM has gone over and above the 30% quota other political parties have set as women candidates. In PBM, we believe that women need to play a more dominant role in our male-dominated politics,” commented the former Housing and Local Government during Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s tenure as PM.
“Studies have shown that women are more sensitive to the needs of the electorate. I believe if more women hold senior positions of power, our society will not become as divisive as it is now,” she added.
Unlike other parties where women were fielded as a token representation, Zuraida said PBM’s female candidates were leaders of calibre. They each have a proven track record in serving the local community with all of them having had distinguished careers in their respective fields.
Meanwhile, Haniza concurred that women’s empowerment was one of PBM’s six core pillars with the five are being multiracial engagement, youth empowerment, economic development, education and the advancement of science and technology.
“We have women empowerment in our DNA. This is why we appeal to voters to give PBM a chance as we believe women leaders can be just as effective as their male counterparts and women have more empathy,” she added. – Nov 5, 2022
