PAS Muktamar: Give women candidates opportunity to contest in GE15

KUALA TERENGGANU: PAS needs to give the opportunity for more women candidates to contest in the 15th General Election (GE15), said PAS Muslimat deputy chief Dr Rosni Adam.

She said this was not only to gain the attention and support of women voters who made up almost 50 per cent of the total number of voters but also to enable the group to fight in their own way.

"For the Melaka state election, there is only one woman candidate out of the total eight candidates, only 12.5 per cent.

"I am confident, insya Allah, in GE15 the percentage will increase. Give us the chance to fight for the religion of Allah through the women's wing because we know almost 50 per cent of voters out there are women of all ages," she said during the winding-up session of the 67th PAS Muktamar (general assembly) here today.

Dr Rosni said if PAS wanted to field young women candidates, the wing is ready to cooperate and fulfil the set criteria.

"If (the party) wants young women candidates, we can accommodate. We can give way if the party wants fresh faces because the hand that rocks the cradle is also able to defend Malaysia," said Dr Rosni to thunderous applause from the delegates present.

The two-day PAS Muktamar themed 'Islam Menyatukan Ummah' was held in a hybrid format that involves the physical attendance of 694 delegates while 852 delegates attended the assembly virtually.

Meanwhile, during the same session, PAS Youth chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari said all quarters should not question the direction of the party's relationship with Muafakat Nasional and Perikatan Nasional which had been decided by PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang.

"This is not the time question over the direction. Give the mandate to the president. Put your trust in one master to steer (the ship) because he knows where the sharks and hurricanes are.

"If everyone wants to be a negotiator, it is feared that there will be some quarters who will sell the party's name to others," he said.

Ahmad Fadhli added that when the country was facing political turmoil, PAS was the only party that showed a high level of integrity by not jumping to other parties.

As such, he suggested that PAS delegates and leaders continue to defend the party by going down to the ground especially in reaching out to the young people.

"We have to accept the fact that in GE15, (the voters) will start from 18 years old. We have to have a suitable agenda for them and we must plan a clear programme to gain their support," he said.

Meanwhile, head of PAS Supporters Congress Senator N. Bala Subramaniam reminded party leaders and members to remain vigilant of the information received to avoid misunderstanding.

"Always check the authenticity of the information before sharing them with other people. In this world of social media, it may lead to misunderstandings which will result in the party's collapse in the future," he said.

-- BERNAMA