‘THEY ALL RESPECTED HER’: ‘YOU HAVE THE POWER’ RAFIDAH LEAVES AFFLUENT & WELL-EDUCATED TTDI ‘AWESTRUCK’ – WHAT A LOSS FOR UMNO!

KUALA LUMPUR— “Iron Lady” Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz delivered a rousing speech to thousands of people at a political rally by the Pakatan Harapan (PH) here last night, urging Malaysians to vote out the party that gave birth to her political career.

The former international trade and industry minister of 21 years told the audience that each vote matters, and they have the power to change the ruling coalition, in reference to Barisan Nasional (BN) which she had represented for over 50 years.

“You have the power,” she said. “Every one of your vote is important… the power is in your hands.”

The audience that packed the field next to the Taman Tun Dr Ismail community centre, a largely middle-class neighbourhood that had been one of the preferred addresses of civil service pensioners in the Segambut parliamentary seat, responded with thunderous cheers and applause.

Many of the thousands that turned up for the ceramah to rally support for Hannah Yeoh, the DAP candidate for Segambut, were visibly eager to catch the former Wanita Umno stalwart speak. Some had gathered hours earlier.

Last night was the second night Rafidah stumped for PH. The feisty 74-year-old first appeared for the Opposition bloc in the GE14 campaign trail in Bukit Katil, Melaka, on Friday night alongside her mentor and former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who now chairs the four-party PH.

But her decision to back the Opposition came as no surprise. Prior to her defection, Rafidah had been open about her criticism of the BN coalition’s administration of Malaysia, calling out its leaders for what she decried as their sheer arrogance and mismanagement.

Hours before her appearance, Umno sacked Rafidah and former finance minister, Tun Daim Zainuddin, a Dr Mahathir strongman, from the Malay nationalist party and backbone of BN. Daim, 80, is also actively campaigning for PH, making daily appearances in rallies throughout the country.

The triumvirate of Dr M, Daim and Rafidah have been drawing giant crowds wherever they go.

The huge crowd that turned up for the Pakatan Harapan ceramah in TTDI Kuala Lumpur last night to hear Hannah Yeoh and Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz speak. — Picture by Ham Abu Bakar

At the rally here last night, the crowd rushed to greet Rafidah upon arrival. Many lined up to shake hands as others snapped photos of her and with her.

The awe was most visible among the older attendees, women particularly. To them, Rafidah had come to symbolise women power. She was the country’s first female senior minister, and she was now standing among them.

“Women respected her,” said one middle-aged voter at the rally. “Even if she was with Umno, her strong image was an inspiration,” she added.

Rafidah thanked them for their support in her speech, and openly expressed support to PH’s cause.

She said her decision to back PH stemmed from her love of the country.

“I am not a member of any political party, but I support Pakatan Harapan’s cause,” she declared. The crowd cheered.

Some PH leaders, including its Segambut candidate Hannah Yeoh, were also present at the rally.

Yeoh, a DAP member, will be seeking to defend the parliamentary seat that has been held for the last two terms by her DAP colleague Lim Lip Eng against BN’s Datuk Loga Bala Mohan and Muhammad Soleh Abdul Razak of PAS.

MALAY MAIL