KUALA LUMPUR: Angkatan Wanita Amanah Negara (AWAN) Nasional has endorsed five candidates for the 27 vacant seats in the Parti Amanah Nasional (Amanah) leadership committee for the 2019-2022 session.
Its chief, Senator Aiman Athirah Al-Jundi, said the candidates are Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud, Norhayati Bidin, Norwani Ahmat, Mariam Abdul Rashid and Aida Yusof Rawa.
She said the decision was made during the AWAN convention last weekend at the Bangi Convention Centre.
“They hold various positions and skills, and have vast experiences to make the right decisions not only for the women in AWAN, but the whole party (Amanah) itself.
“We hope the representatives attending the upcoming party’s convention will choose them to be a part of the women’s representatives especially in politics, as they are equivalent to 18.5 per cent of the overall participants who will be chosen,” she said today.
Aiman added that she had withdrawn from contesting the Amanah Nasional leadership committee post after being elected as AWAN’s chief to give way to the five candidates.
She said they had nominated Dr Siti Mariah to fill in one of the two vice-presidential positions in Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah).
She said the women’s wing was also offering at least two leaders to be in the Amanah Nasional management committee to assist in administering Wisma Amanah Negara.
“We also believe that with their expertise and commitment, the party will be able to run more smoothly, and more effectively and systematically.”
Aiman said AWAN Nasional would raise four proposals during the convention, which were to urge the government to eradicate the spread of political hatred against religion and race; to abolish extra charges on the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) borrowers; to look into the poverty situation in Malaysia; and for women to be fully involved in the party’s leadership organisational positions as well as the government as a whole.
Meanwhile, asked on the stance of party members towards its president Mohamad Sabu, Aiman said they had no issues with him and looked on him as a respectable, low-profile and practical person.
“The quality in the president is the quality that can never to be found in anyone else...
“Personally, I respect him as he has vast experience and knowledge in a lot of things.
"He (Mat Sabu) always play a vital role in making so many important decisions in the government," she added.
Asked if Mat Sabu would have the chance to be president again for another term, Aiman said: “Why not? The party’s constitution states that the president will run the party for three terms.
“It is not wrong to give the president a chance to lead the party... if we want to be respected, we should make the party stable first,” she said, adding that she also respected the party’s deputy president, Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub, who is also the agriculture and agro-based industry minister.
Aiman also denied claims that the party would split into two during the convention, the president’s and vice-president’s teams, saying that would not happen.