‘More Malay housewives backing Pakatan’

Despite the prime minister’s initiatives to woo women voters for BN, Malay housewives' support for Pakatan in Selangor is up by 5%, said PKR Wanita.

PETALING JAYA: Malay housewives’ support for Pakatan Rakyat in Selangor has tipped the scale at 53%, according to an “internal survey”, PKR Wanita chief Zuraida Kamaruddin said today.

The September 2012 survey showed an increase of 5% support towards the opposition pact in Selangor within just six months, said Zuraida, who is also Ampang MP and Selangor PKR deputy chief.

“A question on whether Pakatan should be given the chance or mandate to govern Selangor after the 13th general election found that 53% of Malay housewives [agreed it should be given the chance], compared with 48% during the survey in February 2012,” Zuraida told reporters at the PKR headquarters.

“This is the result of the efforts made by PKR Wanita in promoting and explaining [the message of PKR] to women and housewives at the grassroots level,” she claimed.

The results of the survey could come as a blow to the Najib administration as women and fence-sitters are considered the key to winning the next general election, which must be held by April.

Wanita Umno in particular had dismissed the opposition pact’s initiatives for women in the country as being 66 years behind time.

But Zuraida said the survey results were a clear message that women were beginning to understand the ideologies and policies of Pakatan, and how it could benefit them.

“PKR Wanita believes that women are confident with the Agenda Wanita Malaysia which helps women, as well as the honesty of the Selangor state government in carrying out programmes which care for the welfare of women,” said Zuraida.

She said Pakatan’s promises such as the abolishment of tolls, car excise and the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) could provide housewives with extra cash each month to the tune of RM500.

Zuraida added that Wanita PKR believed the increase in support for Pakatan among women was happening not just in Selangor, but the whole country.

“When we travelled to Sabah and Sarawak, we could see an increase in support there. So Selangor is acting as a benchmark for the success of Agenda Wanita Malaysia,” said Zuraida.

But Zuraida did not mention who conducted the survey in Selangor, how many people took part in it, nor how the sample was chosen.