PKR CONGRESS Some of the delegates at the PKR women's wing congress yesterday complained that its candidates had been sent on ‘suicide missions' in the recent general election.
One of them, Pahang delegate Murni Hidayah Anuar, said: "The women's wing should be sent to winnable seats, but (we) got sent to difficult ones instead."
She added that the party's central leadership should take this factor into consideration if it hopes to achieve its 30 percent target for women representation in the legislature.
Nevertheless, she said the wing had been willing to face the challenges presented by difficult constituencies, only to find the party machinery malfunctioning.
"If you send us to a difficult seat, you must ensure that the machinery is in place and not just (let us wait and) get slaughtered," she said.
She cited her own experience as an example, saying that she had been the candidate for Pahang's Paya Besar parliamentary seat, a tough constituency within which there are ten Felda settlements.
"When I entered these settlements, some of the people didn't even know of our party's existence.
One of them, Pahang delegate Murni Hidayah Anuar, said: "The women's wing should be sent to winnable seats, but (we) got sent to difficult ones instead."
She added that the party's central leadership should take this factor into consideration if it hopes to achieve its 30 percent target for women representation in the legislature.Nevertheless, she said the wing had been willing to face the challenges presented by difficult constituencies, only to find the party machinery malfunctioning.
"If you send us to a difficult seat, you must ensure that the machinery is in place and not just (let us wait and) get slaughtered," she said.
She cited her own experience as an example, saying that she had been the candidate for Pahang's Paya Besar parliamentary seat, a tough constituency within which there are ten Felda settlements.
"When I entered these settlements, some of the people didn't even know of our party's existence.
Male chauvinism exposed?
"How are we supposed to win?" she lamented when debating the women wing's chief's policy speech.
Not only that, she said there were cases where seats traditionally contested by the women's wing had been switched to their male counterparts.
These included the Semambu state seat in Pahang and Bukit Chandan state seat in Perak, which she said , their wing could win.
PKR female candidates stood for 11 parliamentary and 18 state assembly seats, winning only three of the former and eight of the latter.
Meanwhile, Perak delegate Junaidah Jamaluddin complained that all of her wing's candidates in the state were wiped out in the recent polls.
A major reason for the slaughter, according to her, was the last minute finalisation of the candidates, making proper preparations impossible.
"Female wing candidates also faced sabotage from fellow party members. The party division that was supposed to help the candidate kept quiet instead; some even went abroad ," she added.
Go for key posts, call
In her winding-up speech, PKR women's chief Zuraida Kamaruddin (below) praised the debaters for their bravery and urged them to continue to be so when they return to their state committees and divisions, lest they be bullied.
"It's not that the party bullies (women), but I can't seem to find a better word for the situation it," she said.
However, she did not elaborate on the ‘type' of the bullying suffered by PKR women at the grassroots level
She encouraged her members to contest key positions when party elections are held.
She added that candidates cannot be faulted for their loss if the grassroots have failed to mobilise their campaign machinery to help out.
Not only that, she said there were cases where seats traditionally contested by the women's wing had been switched to their male counterparts.
These included the Semambu state seat in Pahang and Bukit Chandan state seat in Perak, which she said , their wing could win.PKR female candidates stood for 11 parliamentary and 18 state assembly seats, winning only three of the former and eight of the latter.
Meanwhile, Perak delegate Junaidah Jamaluddin complained that all of her wing's candidates in the state were wiped out in the recent polls.
A major reason for the slaughter, according to her, was the last minute finalisation of the candidates, making proper preparations impossible.
"Female wing candidates also faced sabotage from fellow party members. The party division that was supposed to help the candidate kept quiet instead; some even went abroad ," she added.
Go for key posts, call
In her winding-up speech, PKR women's chief Zuraida Kamaruddin (below) praised the debaters for their bravery and urged them to continue to be so when they return to their state committees and divisions, lest they be bullied.
"It's not that the party bullies (women), but I can't seem to find a better word for the situation it," she said.However, she did not elaborate on the ‘type' of the bullying suffered by PKR women at the grassroots level
She encouraged her members to contest key positions when party elections are held.
She added that candidates cannot be faulted for their loss if the grassroots have failed to mobilise their campaign machinery to help out.
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