Vultures are circling the Obedient Wanita Club

Do they know the difference between Shahizat stepping down and resigning?

Like vultures eyeing carrion, staunch Shahrizat Abdul Jalil supporters in Wanita Umno must feel their days are numbered. The latest threat coming from the Wanita Umno deputy chief, Kamilia Ibrahim.

Kamilia told a national daily that the Women, Family and Community Development Minister, Shahrizat Abdul Jalil should retire as head of Wanita Umno and Wanita BN.

With public sentiment raging about the National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp) scandal, run by Shahrizat’s husband and children, Kamilia is worried about the damage to Wanita Umno.

Kamilia said: “I’ve gone down to the grassroots and this is generally what the members are saying. They are finding it hard to meet the people when the image of their leader is tarnished.”

“People are poking fun at Wanita and calling us ‘cows’.”

The initials OWC, used to describe the Obedient Wives Club but now, OWC might as well stand for the Obedient Wanita Club (Wanita signifying Wanita Umno Club members) or as some critics cruelly put it, Obedient Wanita Cows, because of the way they continue to defend their leader Shahrizat.

Perhaps the initials could be rearranged. COW would stand for Club of Obedient Wanita. The critics are right! Wanita Umno members are being led by the nose by both Shahrizat and the Umno president, who is also the Prime Minister, Najib Tun Razak.

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin praised Shahrizat for her “sacrifice” when she stepped down. What he actually meant was that Shahrizat was made the sacrificial lamb to save the hides of the Umno elite.

Shahrizat has been embroiled in the NFCorp scandal in which RM250 million of taxpayers’ money was used for personal purchases. Recently Shahrizat’s husband, Mohamad Salleh Ismail was charged with criminal breach of trust (CBT) for misusing public funds which should have been used to run the cattle-rearing project (National Feedlot Centre).

On March 11, Shahrizat said that she would relinquish her position as minister and staunch BN supporters had said she was “responsible”. Do they know the difference between Shahizat stepping down and resigning?

Shahrizat has not resigned but is carrying on as normal until her term as Senator expires on April 8.

A person of integrity would have resigned and cleared his name as soon as the situation became untenable. Shahrizat clung onto power and the perks of her job. She needed a lot of pushing.

A capable prime minister would have demanded that his Cabinet was scrupulously clean. Malaysians do not have a mature Cabinet nor do we have leaders of integrity who will act for the good of the nation.

We inherited a bunch of people who are self-serving and who cover each other’s alleged criminal activities. Perhaps a few of us are to be blamed for voting them in at the last election.

Orchestrated show of public support

If you or I had a whiff of scandal about us in the companies we worked for, security guards would escort us out of the office without even giving us a chance to collect our belongings.

Shahrizat is allowed to continue working. This shows the level of commitment that Umno has in tackling corruption.

Umno secretary-general Tengku Adnan Mansor censured Kamilia for demanding Shahrizat’s resignation. Kamilia is known to be one of Shahrizat’s more vocal critics and there are allegations that she is wants to be the leader of Wanita Umno.

He said, “By right, such a statement should not have come about because the matter has been discussed and a decision taken that Shahrizat will continue to be Wanita Umno chief until the next term.”

“She was elected to the post, so why is this [call for her to quit] being raised?”

Does Adnan know what corruption does to the country? Is he aware of the meaning of “integrity”, and “self-respect”? Does he not realise that ministers should adhere strictly to the ministerial code of conduct? Perhaps none exists in Malaysia.

There are pockets of resistance to Shahrizat’s removal and those who wish Shahrizat to remain have issued a statement which said: “It (Kamilia’s remark) does not at all give the true picture of what is happening in Umno’s women movement regarding that particular issue (National Feedlot Centre or NFC) whether at the exco level, state, division or even the grassroots.”

They claim that their support for Shahrizat was “very united and robust”. “We, as exco members and Wanita Umno state chiefs, would like to stress that we will always offer our undivided support to Shahrizat’s leadership as Malaysia’s Wanita Umno chief.”

They said the turnout for Shahrizat, during her visits to several states and also at the launch of “Sayang 1Malaysia” in Pasir Gudang, Johor, was large.

Members of the public claim that these displays of support for Umno-BN politicians are orchestrated.

The party funds the coach ride to the venue, and each participant receives RM30 and a generous “makan”. Now who wouldn’t want to be paid for a day out, with food and drink provided? This is Umno’s version of the “rent-a-crowd”.

Shahrizat’s defence of her position in this NFC scandal, before, during and after the Umno general assembly, was commendable, but she did not seem able to expend a similar amount of energy to promote the cause of women in Malaysia, preventing children from being detained, nor gaining justice for the Penan women who were raped in Sarawak four years ago.

Is that so difficult for Shahrizat and her supporters in Wanita Umno to comprehend?

Mariam Mokthar is a FMT columnist.