'I left my heart at the ministry', says Umno 'heroine' Shahrizat

END OF AN ERA-As she ends her tenure as senator today and with that, her term as women, family and community development minister, Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil shares her feelings about leaving a ministry that has been close to her heart in an exclusive interview with P. Selvarani

Question: It's your last day in office. Can you share your feelings about leaving a ministry that dealt with issues close to your heart?

Answer: The ministry has always been my second home, if not my first. It is a poignant moment for me today. Since day one, from the inception of the ministry, it has been a wonderful and amazing journey. This would not have been possible without the support and vision of the prime ministers I had served under -- Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Datuk Seri Najib Razak -- as well as the support of my cabinet colleagues. I say amazing because this ministry is about people, and how we can help them.

I feel so blessed to have been given the opportunity to be part of a team that is dedicated, committed, fun but focused. You could say that I've left my heart at the ministry.

Question: What was your greatest achievement as minister of women, family and community development?

Answer: We have achieved many milestones. We started out with the amendment to the Federal Constitution against gender discrimination soon after the ministry was set up in 2001 and two weeks ago, we held a workshop to formulate the Social Workers Bill, which will be tabled in Parliament at the end of the year. In between that, there were many celebrations, big and small, like the cabinet's approval in 2004 to have women in at least 30 per cent of decision-making positions in the public sector, and in June last year, the prime minister announced that the same should apply to women in the private sector.

Before this policy was put in place, the percentage of women decision-makers in the public sector in 2004 was 18.8 per cent. It now stands at 32.2 per cent, and I am proud to say that there are currently six KSUs (secretaries-general). But to my mind, the greatest achievement in a nutshell is that, together with our agencies and stakeholders, we have been able to bring the issues of our target groups -- women, families, children, the disabled, the elderly, the destitute and people's welfare -- into the mainstream. No transformation can happen without social development because social development is the soul to both the government and the people.

Question: What was your happiest moment as a minister and a member of the cabinet?

Answer: I had many happy moments. But if I have to choose one, it must surely be the day Akta Orang Kurang Upaya passed in 2007. The act was enforced in 2008. All our target groups are important to me but the disabled community touches my heart in a different way. Working with them and for them has changed my life's perspective.

Question: What was your saddest moment as a minister?

Answer: My saddest moment was seeing the victims of the landslide in Hulu Langat. (In May last year , a landslide in Hulu Langat, Selangor had hit Rumah Anak Yatim Hidayah Madrasah Al-Takwa killing 13 children). I rushed to Hulu Langat as soon as I had finished an earlier function, in time to join the rescue teams. I felt helpless and devastated. I remember meeting a mother who told me she had walked some of the way from Perak and finished the other half by taxi. She was poor and she had put her child at the orphanage. She arrived at 3am, panicked and desperate, looking for her son. When I saw her again the next morning, she was a different woman. She had found her son. I was so happy for her. I experienced many moments like these -- of desperation, devastation and misery. That's why when I went through my own journey of pain, I had to cope with it because I thought of all the instances I had witnessed -- of death, destruction, illnesses and poverty -- I know I have to be strong, if not for myself, then at least for many others.

Question: Do you have any advice for the incoming minister?

Answer: You've got a great team with a wealth of experience, commitment and passion. The only way this ministry can go is forward.

Question: The National Feedlot Corporation scandal has obviously taken a toll on you and your family, especially since your husband, Datuk Seri Dr Mohamed Salleh Ismail, has been charged in court. How do you feel, as a wife and a mother?

Answer: It has been most painful. I learnt that there are many sides to a story. In an instant I experienced what it was like to be wife, mother, daughter and leader all rolled into one and how one must remain strong, steady, steadfast and calm in the eye of the storm.

Question: What were your thoughts when you attended court the day your husband was charged?

Answer: Once upon a time, I was a magistrate in the Jalan Duta Court Complex. On that fateful day, I sat in the public gallery as a wife. I learnt that in life, one does not know what tomorrow brings. I felt I was in a tableau. It seemed surreal but I was calm and my faith in Allah was unshakeable.

Question: Wanita Umno has appeared to close ranks following the meeting with Datuk Seri Najib Razak last month. Do you believe the movement can put the past behind it and move forward from now, given that your deputy and some division Wanita leaders had demanded your resignation earlier?

Answer: I was elected to the position of Ketua (chief) Wanita in the Wanita General Assembly (2009), representing some 1.3 million members. Politicians face challenges all the time. There is never a dull moment in politics and indeed it is not for the faint-hearted. What happened was not surprising given the circumstance. Yes, Wanita Umno is a strong and stable movement and it has weathered many storms. Besides, the members are experienced and professional in their approach to politics.

If at all there was any doubt as to the unity of Wanita under my leadership, the solidarity shown by the presence of some 10,000 women leaders from all over the country on that day, together with the Umno president, deputy president and other supreme council members, spoke for itself. The women from my exco and the grassroots leaders gave me a clear signal that together we will prevail. And together, we will make sure that Datuk Seri Najib continues to lead us.

Question: You have received a lot of flak over your statement that you "want to do the right thing" by stepping down as minister when your senatorship ends on April 8. Your critics, including former Wanita head Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz, have rubbished your statement, saying that the question of stepping down or resigning does not arise as your senatorship automatically ends on April 8. What is your response?

Answer: While perception seems to be everything in Malaysian politics, which is worrying, and that most often, you are judged by the court of public opinion based on perception, one must be reminded that one is innocent until proven guilty.

Question: How different will life be for you after today?

Answer: It will be like any other day, insyallah (God willing), except that I will have a bit more time with family and friends. My mother, who has always been my tower of strength, looks forward to spending more time with me at the mosque. I now have more time to do things I've always loved to do but had not found the time. However my main focus will be on Wanita Barisan Nasional. I must make sure we are ready to face a possibly brutal general election.

Question: What do you intend to do after this? Your future plans?

Answer: For me, foremost on my mind is to help Barisan Nasional win. Who knows what tomorrow brings?

Question: Do you have any regrets?

Answer: No. No regrets because in everything I do, I give my all. To me, life, like love, as Keats said, must come as naturally as leaves to a tree or it must not come at all. I believe in takdir (fate) and barakah (blessings) from Allah.

- New Straits Times