Women voters are ‘kingmakers’ in Kimanis, says Wanita PH

Wanita PH leader Zuraida Kamaruddin (seated, centre) with Lasimbang and other women’s wing leaders in Membakut, Kimanis, today.

KIMANIS: Wanita Pakatan Harapan believes the real kingmakers in the Kimanis by-election are the women voters, who make up just over half the electorate in the constituency.

Various activities would be carried out over the next two weeks of the campaign to woo women voters into casting their vote for Warisan on Jan 18, Wanita PH leader Zuraida Kamaruddin said

“Such efforts include going house to house and hearing the women’s views and plights. We will see how best the government can help them,” she said in Membakut here today.

Kimanis has an electorate of 29,664 people, of whom 14,864 are women.

Wanita PH election director Jannie Lasimbang said a ground study had been done to understand the needs of Kimanis women.

She said the Wanita PH election committee had spoken to various groups, including the Kimanis Kapitan, on the issue of unemployment, economics, infrastructure development and others.

“Most of the women here are house makers or engaged in agriculture, fisheries or are entrepreneurs,” she said.

Lasimbang, who is Sabah DAP Wanita chief, said the PH team had also looked into the plight of women unable to further their studies, and would look into ways to empower them.

Lasimbang said Wanita PH will deploy between 200 and 300 members on the ground at any one time during the two weeks of the campaign.

This is the first time that members of Warisan and Upko are working together with PH component parties as a team. - FMT