A PENANG-BASED lawyer is taking on minister and Bersatu leader Rina Harun for the top post of the party’s women’s wing, Srikandi, in the party elections April.

Azlina Mehtab Mohd Ishaq is the only woman who heads a division in Bersatu – a post that is still dominated by men.

The 49-year-old heads the Kepala Batas division and has been a member of Bersatu’s legal bureau since 2016, the year of its founding.

Azlina is eyeing the top post in Srikandi as she wants a bigger voice for women in the party, including in decision-making while increasing their roles in the business and education sectors.

She does not want Srikandi and the women in the party to be just window-dressing where they are disempowered.

Azlina, who is popularly known as “Kak Thab” among her followers, believes that these aims are not being met by the wing’s present leadership.

“To empower women, I want to increase their participation at the leadership level,” Azlina told The Malaysian Insight.

“This is so that Bersatu is seen as a party that gives equal treatment towards women and that it is sincere about empowering women.

“I don’t want Srikandi to become just window-dressing. Where they are present but they can’t do anything. I want to turn Srikandi into a wing that has a voice at the table.”

Bersatu’s elections started yesterday with nominations to contest the branch and division positions.

Branch elections and annual general meetings are scheduled to be carried out from February 15 to March 29.

Division meetings and polls will be done on April 18 and delegates will then choose leaders in the supreme council, including for Srikandi and Armada, its youth wing.

Rina, who is rural and regional development minister, said that she will defend her Srikandi post and will contest a post in the party’s Sepang division.

Rina told Bernama on Saturday that she and her family were from Sepang and that she had once headed the Sepang Puteri Umno division.

Azlina, meanwhile, is a founding member of Puteri Umno and was its first Penang chief. In the Bersatu polls, Azlina will also defend her Kepala Batas division chief’s post.

If she wins the Srikandi post, Azlina plans to restructure the wing so that it can truly become Bersatu’s backbone.

“Right now, when I meet Srikandi members at the grassroots level, many complain about the present leadership. They feel that their efforts and welfare are being ignored.

“Srikandi’s direction is not being structured well even though it should be the party’s backbone and vanguard.”

Azlina also plans to expand programmes for Srikandi to include those in the business, social and education sectors.

She added that the wing should also be the government’s eyes and ears.

“Srikandi needs to be the government’s agent and actively spread information about its programmes and policies. It should be the bridge between the government and the people.” – January 27, 2019.