They want the movement's chief to bring forward her proposed transition plan to March instead of the original June dateline.
At a press conference in Ipoh yesterday, Wanita chiefs from 22 out of 24 divisions called for Rafidah to hand over the leadership to her deputy Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil during the national delegates meeting in March.
Deputy Perak Wanita chief Datuk Rusnah Kassim, who co-chaired the press conference with Wanita's central committee member Datuk Khamsiah Yeop, however, stressed that the divisions chiefs were not putting any pressure on Rafidah to do so.
They want Rafidah to "gracefully exit the race".
"Let Shahrizat take charge of the wing. It is in the best interest of the Wanita movement."
Khamsiah, who is Lenggong division Wanita chief, explained that divisions had nominated Rafidah as Wanita's chief as they were merely following the decision made by the central committee to support the June transition plan.
"But now, there is a massive shift in sentiments with many divisions nationwide expressing support for Shahrizat to go for the top post because they feel that sticking to the original plan would not be good for the morale and strength of the wing, especially its status among the Barisan Nasional's Wanita movements.
"Wanita Umno itself cannot afford to be put in a position that will affect its standing as the leader of BN's Wanita wings. If Rafidah sticks to her plan, then it will not be a sound move for the future of the wing."
Khamsiah also stressed that the Wanita divisions in the state were not being disrespectful towards Rafidah when they pleaded with her not to defend her post.
"The grassroots in Perak love and respect her deeply and we do not want to see her ending her long service to the movement on a sad or sour note if she were to lose to Shahrizat. That is why we are pleading with her to exit the race," said Khamsiah.
For the record, 15 out of 24 divisions in the state nominated Shahrizat for the top post with the rest wanting Rafidah, who is Kuala Kangsar MP, to defend her position.
The 22 divisions which now want the transition to take place in March are Ipoh Timor, Ipoh Barat, Kuala Kangsar, Tambun, Teluk Intan, Parit, Batu Gajah, Kampar, Gopeng, Sungai Siput, Gerik, Lenggong, Taiping, Lumut, Tapah, Bagan Datoh, Tanjung Malim, Larut, Beruas, Pasir Salak, Bagan Serai and Bukit Gantang.
In Seremban, state Wanita Umno chief Datuk Norhayati Omar said the 117 nominations received by Rafidah to defend the top post "did not truly reflect the sentiments of the grassroots towards her leadership".
She claimed that Rafidah got so many nominations because Shahrizat had earlier issued a directive to respect the transition plan.
"During the first week of nominations, Shahrizat had asked all divisions not to nominate her to contest against Rafidah for the top post.
"Those in the grassroots abided by this and therefore nominated Rafidah to defend her post. However, the trend began to change in the second week and many divisions went ahead and nominated Shahrizat, giving her a total of 77 nominations to contest the top post.
"This clearly shows that the members are calling for a change in leadership ," she said.
Norhayati said she was confident that if not for Shahrizat's directive, she (Shahrizat) would have got many more nominations, probably far more than Rafidah.
"In Negri Sembilan alone, three divisions had earlier wanted to nominate Shahrizat to contest the Wanita Umno chief post, but later nominated Rafidah after Shahrizat called them and advised them to respect the plan," she said.
On Umno president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's intention of intervening to resolve the leadership crisis in the movement, Norhayati, who is also the Kuala Pilah Wanita Umno chief, said she welcomed it.
In Kota Kinabalu, four of the 11 Wanita Umno divisions which nominated Rafidah are pledging their support for Shahrizat.
State Wanita Umno chief Datuk Armani Mahiruddin said the four divisions -- Tuaran, Keningau, Kimanis and Semporna -- wanted Rafidah to step down in March and allow Shahrizat to take over the top post.
In the recently concluded divisional meetings, 14 of the 25 divisions in Sabah nominated Shahrizat while 11 opted for Rafidah.
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