Shahrizat claims credit for anti-discrimination article in constitution

UMNO AGM How will you remember Shahrizat Abdul Jalil as a former women, family and community development minister?

At least as far as she is concerned, she deems changing the constitution for anti-discrimination against gender was the biggest legacy during her tenure.

During her closing speech for the Umno Wanita assembly today, she recalled that whenever she is appointed to a position, the first thing that comes to her mind would be what legacy would she leave at the end.

“As a minister previously, it was changing the laws... amend the constitution article 8(3), that no discrimination against gender in Malaysia,” she said.

She was given the opportunity to become a minister and served the people thanks to Umno Wanita and grassroots that supported her, she said.

She pointed out that women were not recognised in many ways, such as they were not listed as co-owners of land, even though they had helped their husbands for years.

And worse, women were unable to sign official document in many urgent event, she claimed.

“When the kids were sick and needed to be warded to intensive care unit, the mother was unable to sign the paper,” she said.

These situation changed, however, as she talked to the cabinet, she claimed.

Shahrizat was a minister in Najib Abdul Razak’s administration from 2009 to 2012.

She was mired in national controversy when she and her family were accused of misusing public funds in the National Feedlot Corporation scandal, and led to her resignation as minister.

She was later cleared by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) of having anything to do with NSC.- Mkini