Achieving 10% Women Candidates in Sabah Election Already a Good Outcome — Rosni Zahari
KUALA LUMPUR: UMNO Women’s Information Chief, Datuk Rosni Zahari, acknowledged the difficulty of achieving the 30 percent target for women candidates in the upcoming Sabah state election (PRN), but said securing at least 10 percent would already be commendable given the state’s political landscape.
She said the UMNO Women’s leadership, led by Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad, had made every effort to propose as many women candidates as possible for party consideration. However, local factors made it challenging to meet the original 30 percent target.
“Even achieving 10 percent would be good enough. Out of 73 seats, getting seven women candidates would already be an achievement. But if it’s less than 10 percent, I would consider it an insult to UMNO Women, who have worked tirelessly to revive the party,” she said.
Rosni, a senior leader within the movement, expressed hope that the party leadership would consider nominating more women candidates, especially in strategic and winnable constituencies.
List of Candidates Submitted to Party President
She explained that the list of potential women candidates for Sabah had been identified through discussions between the national and state UMNO Women’s leadership, and the names have already been forwarded to UMNO President, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, for consideration.
“It now depends on the party leadership at both the state and central levels to decide on the list that has been submitted,” she said.
Focus on Non-UMNO Women Voters
Rosni added that the UMNO Women’s machinery has been directed to focus on engaging non-UMNO women voters, while also maintaining strong support among existing members, whom she described as the party’s ‘fixed deposit’.
“If we can attract non-UMNO voters, that would be a bonus for victory,” she said, adding that the movement has arranged its campaign strategy carefully to ensure success in Sabah.
Mix of Experienced and Young Candidates
Commenting on the profiles of the proposed candidates, Rosni said the list includes both experienced and younger women leaders.
“Some of the candidates are senior and well-liked by voters, while others are younger — former Puteri UMNO leaders who now head their respective UMNO Women’s divisions. They have strong potential to win in strategic constituencies,” she said.
Rosni reaffirmed that UMNO Women remain highly motivated to face the Sabah election and hoped that the voices and contributions of women would continue to be recognized by the party leadership in the selection of candidates.