Some ex-MPs were against more women competing, says Zahid

PETALING JAYA: Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has defended Barisan Nasional over the lack of female candidates for the coming general election (GE15), stating that the coalition faced opposition from certain former MPs.

Dismissing claims of gender bias, the BN chairman and Umno president said BN had “done its best to meet demands” for a 30% women representation among its candidates.

“We tried to do everything we could, but there were objections from certain parties,” he said in a Facebook post.

“For example, there were incumbent male candidates who didn’t want to give way because they still wanted to maintain power, like in Padang Besar, Perlis.”

Former Padang Besar MP Zahidi Zainul Abidin was among the ministers and deputy ministers dropped by BN for GE15.

Zahidi, the former deputy communications and multimedia minister, has declared his intention to defend his seat but has not decided under which ticket.

He was dropped in favour of Puteri Umno chief Zahida Zarik Khan.

On Oct 2, Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan said that 30% of BN’s candidates for GE15 would be women from Umno and its coalition partners, MCA, MIC and PBRS.

However, women comprised only 11% of the candidates named by Zahid on Tuesday, causing Wanita chief Noraini Ahmad to say yesterday that she was disappointed that more women were not named as promised.

Wanita Umno information chief Norshida Ibrahim has also decried the lack of female candidates, saying that BN should not have agreed on the 30% quota if it had no intention of implementing it. — Free Malaysia Today