PKR's Zuraida slams Najib for non-performance as Women's Minister: HE'S A FLOP

PKR Women's wing has called on Prime Minister Najib Razak to relinquish his post of Acting Women's Minister, pointing out that he has failed to reveal any road map or new policies for women in the country despite assuming the portfolio more than 3 months ago.

"The issue here is not because Najib is a man. But he is holding on to too many positions. How can he run the Women's ministry as it should be run - with dynamism and new ideas," PKR Women's chief Zuraida Ahmad told Malaysia Chronicle at the sidelines of a press conference on Thursday.

"Since taking over, the Women's ministry has been hibernating ever worse than before."

Zuraida, who is also the Ampang MP, will be launching a nationwide 'Reject Najib: For Women Only' campaign to drum up support that Najib takes the welfare and advancement of women folk seriously.

The PKR Women's wing is demanding that the government provides proper leadership and development programs to educate and bring to mark the women community in the country especially in the rural areas.

"I will be launching this campaign in Johor on July 28 and it will focus on women in rural areas as well as in the cities," Zuraida added.

Seat warmer but Shahrizat could not be rehabilitated

Indeed as Zuraida pointed out, apart from the premiership, Najib was also Finance Minister and headed dozens of high-level committees. He had taken over the post from the disgraced Shahrizat Jali, who resigned amidst a corruption scandal involving her husband and children.

Some pundits had then warned that Najib was merely keeping the seat warm for Shahrizat, who is still the Umno Women's chief. They predicted that once she received the 'all-clear' from the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission which was then investigating her role in the RM250mil NFC corruption debacle, Najib would reinstate her as the Minister of Women, Family & Community Development.

But though the MACC has cleared Shahrizat, charging only her husband for criminal breach of trust, she has not be able to regain political favour with either the Malaysian public nor with her peers in Umno. Although her party mates and the Umno-controlled press have defended her in public, behind the scenes is the acknowledge that she could only drag down the party come election time.

This might be why Najib has hesitated to return the Women's ministry to Shahrizat. But as Zuraida pointed out, that only left the women folk in the country without leadership.

Could have done so much but did not: An insult to women

Zuraida also slammed Najib for not being more diligent and yet wanting to cling onto the post. According to the PKR leader, Najib could have easily tapped his power to help women folk when he had the "direct access" to do so. She was referring to Najib's positions as Finance Minister and PM.

"It's easier to formulate policies for women because he is also the Finance Minister and Prime Minister. There are certain issues, such as 'Gender Budgeting', which he can easily resolve if he wants to. He can cut through all the red tape but he has not done anything at all," said the no-nonsense Zuraida.

"His non-performance for women is an insult. By refusing to appoint a proper Minister to take charge of women's matters, is Najib saying women are not important? How can it be that there are no suitable politicians to choose from when there are so many women Members of Parliament in the BN and within Umno itself, there are 1.2million women members."

Zuraida, who is also the Ampang MP, urged Najib to immediately appoint a suitable replacement who could chart direction for the ministry.

"I call on Najib to immediately unveil ministerial candidates and to indicate the direction of the ministry and its short-term, medium-term and long-term goals for women," she said.

Malaysia Chronicle