UMNO Hamidah Osman Should Not Be Afraid to Break Gender Glass Ceiling

UMNO Hamidah Osman Should Not Be Afraid to Break Gender Glass Ceiling

Press statement by YB Chong Eng

Bukit Mertajam | 010210

The recent press statement by UMNO Perak senior executive councillor Hamidah Osman that women cannot be a Menteri Besar represents a thinking of the chauvinistic past.

I would like to encourage Hamidah Osman to take the step forward and in fact have more confident in herself and other women leaders to strive up to the highest level in every arena which we are involved.

What we want is the best person to lead the State or the Country. If the best person is a woman, I do not see any reason why she should not be appointed to be a Chief Minister or a Menteri Besar or even a Prime Minister.

In Malaysia, the head of government is appointed by majority support. The party which win the most seats in Parliament or State Assemblies will form the government, and the head of the winning party is usually appointed the head of the government. The head of party is in turn appointed by majority votes in party election. The spirit of democracy prevailed, no matter how imperfectly, at various levels of Malaysian politics.

Therefore, when a woman leader is able to garner popular support, there is no reason why she should not be allowed to take up the role of MB or PM. There is no reason why after decades and centuries of effort in gender mainstreaming, we still think that women are incapable of becoming top leaders.

Women can and have proven to be able to perform our duties professionally. Women in Malaysia and elsewhere have taken up the roles of leading organizations, corporations and even governments. Women such as Benazir Bhutto, Megawati Sukarnoputri, Corazon Aquino, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Soong Ching Ling and Pratibha Patil have been heads of Governments in Asia.

Hamidah should not be afraid to take the lead even at the highest level because she was also given the mandate by the people as a state assemblyperson of Sungai Rapat. We will be very happy to see another glass ceiling smashed broken by a fellow female politician, even from the other side of political divide. The Federal Government, especially the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development led by Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, UMNO's Women Chief, has been talking about gender mainstreaming and achieving CEDAW's 30%. This should give all women in Malaysia, including Hamidah, the confidence and the platform to face the challenges of traditional glass ceilings and achieve their highest potential, in consistent with our National Women Policy:

"to ensure an equitable sharing in the acquisition of resources, information, opportunities and benefits of development for men and women. The objectives of equality and justice must be made the essence of development policies which must be people oriented so the women, who constitute half the nations population, can contribute and realize their potentials to the optimum."

Chong Eng
Member of Parliament for Bukit Mertajam
DAP Wanita Chief

h/p: 012-4286629

Press statement by YB Chong Eng

Press statement by YB Chong Eng

Bukit Mertajam | 010210

The recent criticism of certain state PKR leaders towards Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng was more political than substantial. It has malicious elements pointing to the possibility of coup against the elected Pakatan Rakyat State Government, just like what happened in Perak and what we are seeing in Selangor.

This is a sign that Pakatan Rakyat has matured and is beginning to be felt as a threat more and more for our opponents.

In the past two years of Pakatan Rakyat-rule in Penang, many reforms have been initiated which benefits the people as a whole. Allegations that the Malays community have been marginalized were totally unfounded and the people of Penang, including the Malay community can see for themselves Pakatan Rakyat's commitment towards eradicating poverty and socializing the economy of the State for the benefits of all, regardless of race, religion and gender.

It has been pointed out more than once that when PR took over the State administration, annual financial allocations from the State were given out for the first time to religious schools and the salary of religious teachers were increased. The State Government has also been spearheading the project of turning Penang into an international halal hub, thus not only strengthening the value of our products and services and increases income, but also put Penang on the map of the Islamic world.

When the critics could not fault the State Government for abuse and mismanagement, they turned to personal attack on the Chief Minister himself. Some kept harping on the fact that Lim Guan Eng is not a native Penangites and therefore should not lead the State. This is quite irrational given the fact that in a globalized world, organizations rope in capable people from around the world to lead them. We, In a democracy, we want the best person to lead us and Penangites have spoken in the 308 General Election that they wanted Pakatan Rakyat and Lim Guan Eng.

Critics including those from Barisan Nasional should be aware that there is no point politicking at this moment. Honour the mandate of the Rakyat and let democracy play out its due process. We must be able to present ourselves as the choice of the Rakyat not through illegitimate coup and other underhanded tactics, but rather through our performance in administrating the State and prospering the economy. Then we compete in a democratic election.

Given the fact that both Wanita PKR and AMK have come forward to criticized the malignant PKR leaders and expressed support for the CM and State Government, this is not a quarrel between Pakatan Rakyat component parties. This is an unfortunate rebellion by a few leaders who were still dancing to the tune of the old politics of race, threat and fear.

Chong Eng
Chairperson, Bkt Mertajam DAP Parliamentary Liaison Committee

Deputy Secretary-General, DAP National

Chairperson, DAP Wanita

h/p: 012-4286629

ZAMRY VS NIZAR

IPOH, Feb 1 — Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir menjadi hos bagi sebuah jamuan makan malam untuk meraikan sambutan krismas dan juga sambutan tahun baru untuk mendapatkan sokongan padu selepas setahun Berjaya merampas Perak dari Pakatan Rakyat.

Dalam sambutan setahun pemerintahan beliau, Datuk Zamry semalam ada menyebut nama Sultan Perak selaku penaung kepada negeri Perak dan menjadi harapan beliau agar rakyat mengenang jasa Baginda Tuanku yang sentiasa mengingati rakyat jelata.

“Saya suka mengambil kesempatan ini bagi mengucapkan ribuan terima kasih keatas Tuanku kerana mengambil berat kebajikan rakyat.”sambil menegaskan bahawa mahkamah persekutuan akan memberikan penghakiman pada 9hb ini sebagai siapakah menteri besar yang sah.

Semalam pada masa yang sama , Datuk Nizar berceramah di Manjoi dekat Ipoh, manakala di sebelah petangnya beliau hadir dalam sebuah program pemuda PAS Perak yang di beri nama HEMPAP.Program menghimpunkan jentera pilihanraya pemuda PAS Perak ini dengan moto "ORANG MUDA GANG KITA" ini mendapat sambutan yang amat hebat di kalangan anak muda.

Datuk Seri Nizar semalam yakin mahkamah akan memberikan beliau kemenangan 4-1 dan berharap beliau akan segera membubarkan DUN dan di adakan pilihanraya di seluruh negeri tersebut. Berita mengenai persiapan jentera Umno telah bermula sejak 3-4 bulan lalu dan di percayai mempunyai 2 kemungkinan.

Kemungkinan pertamanya ialah jika mahkamah persekutuan menyerahkan keputusan kepada Datuk Nizar sebagai menteri besar yang sah, sudah tentulah beliau akan mengadap Baginda Tuanku untuk mohon perkenan pembubaran DUN.

Kemungkinan keduanya pula ialah jika mahkamah persekutuan mengistiharkan Datuk Zamry sebagai menteri besar yang sah, maka beliau juga di katakan akan mengadap baginda Tuanku atas dasar bahawa Umno mengambil berat akan kepentingan rakyat.

Menurut Yb Nizar lagi, sekiranya Umno /Bn gagal untuk mengistiharkan pilihanraya negeri, mereka di lihat sebagai tidak mengambil berat dengan kebajikan rakyat negeri perak kerana pilihanraya raya dahulu rakyat telah memilih Pakatan sebagai pemerintah, sehinggalah Umno/Bn merampas dengan cara yang tidak "gentleman".

Keadaan ini dilihat sebagai satu cara kedua-dua menteri besar ini sedang melakukan aksi "panas badan" yang berkemungkinan besarnya pilihanraya peringkat negeri akan di laksanakan.PAS semalam telah melancarkan hjentera pilihanraya peringkat pemuda negeri di mana turut dihadiri YB Mahfuz Omar, YB Sallehuddin Ayub,Uzta Nasaruddin Tantawi dan Menteri Besar Perak yang sah Yb Nizar Jamaluddin.

Dalam ucapan beliau, Nizar menjelaskan bahawa, beliau yakin sekiranya Umno/Bn berani untuk mengadakan pilihanraya, maka inilah masanya rakyat Perak harus bangkit dan menentukan kebajikan yang telah di laksanakan walau pun mengambil masa yang tidak lama sebelum rampasan kuasa berlaku.

Malah menurut beliau lagi, sekiranya perkara ini terjadi, "Kita pemuda PAS Perak akan mengambil sikap menentang dan menegakkan kebenaran di bumi Perak yang di cintai ini" demikian jelas beliau di ikuti dengan sorakan ribuan penyokong yang hadir.

Mahkamah persekutuan akan memberikan keputusan mengenai tuntutan kehakiman berhubung kelayakkan siapakah menteri besar yang sah bagi kerajaan negeri Perak.Mahkamah di jangka berbuat demiakian pada 9 Februari ini setelah tertangguh hampir 3 bulan.

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