WANITA Umno chief Shahrizat Abdul Jalil today thanked party members for their support and loyalty through her dark years.

She said it was because of their support that she was able to rise up again to be with Umno.

“I want to thank everyone, without you I will not be here. I faced many challenges, my family and I, but even then you continue to give your loyalty and support so that your leader will not be defeated.

“I will not forget it till the day I die.“she said in her closing speech at the Wanita Umno general assembly at the Putra World Trade Centre this evening.

“Even though I went through five years of hardship, shed tears, but because of Umno I am able to rise again. That is why I devote myself to Wanita Umno. Not to polish, but to uphold the status of women. Our fight is not limited to Malays but we fight for all,” said Shahrizat.

She also said that Umno will win as its leaders’ intentions are pure.

Umno vice-president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi two days ago said Shahrizat, the current Wanita Umno chief and Wanita Barisan chairman, should be given an important position after the general election.

“I will whisper to the prime minister (Najib Razak) to have more women (candidates) in the general election.

He said this when closing the international conference on Women in Politics 2017 (WIPKL) held in Kuala Lumpur.

Shahrizat who served as Women, Family and Community Development Minister five years ago was implicated in the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) scandal.

The issue was highly publicised when it was revealed that NFC was run by Shahrizat’s husband and their three children.

The former Lembah Pantai MP resigned from her Cabinet post in April 2012 and was quoted as saying that she had nothing to do with NFC and she “just happened to be married to the (NFC) chairman”.

On January 20, 2012, Shahrizat, who was later appointed as special adviser to the prime minister on women’s affairs, filed a RM100 million defamation suit against PKR leaders Rafizi Ramli and Zuraida Kamaruddin in connection with the NFC issue.

On March 12, 2012, Shahrizat’s husband, NFC executive chairman Mohamad Salleh Ismail claimed trial to two counts of CBT involving some RM49.7 million with regards to the purchase of two condominium units.

Salleh was also charged with violating the Compan­ies Act by utilising company’s assets to partially fund the purchase of the condominiums without approval.

In May, 2012, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Operations Review Panel cleared Shahrizat of any involvement in the procurement of a RM250 million government loan for NFCorp.

In 2015, Salleh was acquitted of two criminal breach of trust (CBT) charges involving RM49.7 million. – December 6, 2017.