Stopping short of throwing her support behind Wanita Umno chief Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, deputy head Kamilia Ibrahim still found words of praise for her this morning.
"Well, the thing is she has been doing a good job, going around the country. She is actually strengthening the Wanita machinery, and we are all working towards winning the next general election," Kamilia (left) said.
She was responding to a question if she would support Shahrizat, should the latter decide to defend her post in the party elections scheduled for next year.
Kamilia had previously been critical of Shahrizat, who she had once told to step down from her post for the sake of the wing in particular and Umno in general.
This came soon after the National Feedlot Corporation - operated by Shahrizat’s husband and children - was accused of having abused a RM250 million government soft loan in building the National Feedlot Centre.
This morning, however, Shahrizat offered her the olive branch when delivering the policy speech at the opening of the wing’s general assembly at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur.
"I love Kamilia, and I hope she will love me like a sister," Shahrizat declared in front of the assembled delegates at the morning session.
Asked to comment later, Kamilia was diplomatic: "Well, if someone wants to be a sister, why not?
"She and I ... we went to the same school, also in a same university. So we had our relationship earlier on. So we had the feelings, the feelings are there, and being together at the leadership level in the Wanita (wing)."
However, the "common goal of the party is what matters" stressed Kamilia, apparently hinting at reservations on her part.
She was even more reticent when asked if Shahrizat would make a ‘winnable’ candidate for Umno in the next general election.
"When it comes to candidacy, it would be up to the PM to determine who will be the candidate, so we have to look into all aspects," was all she would say.
"Well, the thing is she has been doing a good job, going around the country. She is actually strengthening the Wanita machinery, and we are all working towards winning the next general election," Kamilia (left) said.She was responding to a question if she would support Shahrizat, should the latter decide to defend her post in the party elections scheduled for next year.
Kamilia had previously been critical of Shahrizat, who she had once told to step down from her post for the sake of the wing in particular and Umno in general.
This came soon after the National Feedlot Corporation - operated by Shahrizat’s husband and children - was accused of having abused a RM250 million government soft loan in building the National Feedlot Centre.
This morning, however, Shahrizat offered her the olive branch when delivering the policy speech at the opening of the wing’s general assembly at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur."I love Kamilia, and I hope she will love me like a sister," Shahrizat declared in front of the assembled delegates at the morning session.
Asked to comment later, Kamilia was diplomatic: "Well, if someone wants to be a sister, why not?
"She and I ... we went to the same school, also in a same university. So we had our relationship earlier on. So we had the feelings, the feelings are there, and being together at the leadership level in the Wanita (wing)."
However, the "common goal of the party is what matters" stressed Kamilia, apparently hinting at reservations on her part.
She was even more reticent when asked if Shahrizat would make a ‘winnable’ candidate for Umno in the next general election.
"When it comes to candidacy, it would be up to the PM to determine who will be the candidate, so we have to look into all aspects," was all she would say.
Shahrizat making another bid to stay on?
As the 13th general election moves closer, whether Shahrizat will be nominated as a candidate to make a comeback after the NFC fiasco is anyone’s guess.
Although she did not explicitly lobby for it during her policy speech, Shahrizat dangled the carrot of greater representation in the Umno candidate line-up, vowing to help Wanita attain their proposed 30 percent candidacy share if she “still stands as Wanita chief”.
When asked about the possibility of her defending her post during a press conference after the speech, Shahrizat was non-comittal but indicated it is still on the books.
As the 13th general election moves closer, whether Shahrizat will be nominated as a candidate to make a comeback after the NFC fiasco is anyone’s guess.
Although she did not explicitly lobby for it during her policy speech, Shahrizat dangled the carrot of greater representation in the Umno candidate line-up, vowing to help Wanita attain their proposed 30 percent candidacy share if she “still stands as Wanita chief”.
When asked about the possibility of her defending her post during a press conference after the speech, Shahrizat was non-comittal but indicated it is still on the books.
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