PAKATAN Harapan chairman Dr Mahathir Mohamad has taken a dig at Prime Minister Najib Razak for failing to appoint more women to his cabinet, in a bid to court female voters.

He said women in Najib’s cabinet were not given important roles.

“They are responsible for small problems, nothing to do with the country’s economy, economic growth, trade growth, like Rafidah Aziz,” said Dr Mahathir during his weekly policy talk on Facebook.

Rafidah was international trade and industry minister between 1987 and 2008. Dr Mahathir was prime minister from 1981 to 2003.

“This reflects the government’s dimmed view of and (lack of) trust in women’s capabilities, even though there are more women university graduates nowadays,” said Dr Mahathir.

There are three women ministers in Najib’s cabinet. Nancy Shukri and Azalina Othman Said are ministers in the Prime Minister’s Department, while Rohani Abdul Karim is women, family and community development minister.

Nancy and Rohani are from Sarawak Barisan Nasional component Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu, while Azalina is from the ruling coalition’s lynchpin party Umno.

Should PH take over Putrajaya, said Dr Mahathir, the pact would put more women in the government.

“We will not limit ourselves to the 30% quota. We’ll aim for more than that,” he said, referring to Najib’s promise in December last year to appoint at least 30% women to the senate if BN won the 14th general election.

Dr Mahathir said housewives with an entrepreneurial spirit had taken to selling nasi lemak and kuih to earn extra income, to cope with the rising cost of living.

However, he said, the rising cost of living showed that the impact of positive gross domestic product growth and export figures was not benefiting the people.

He said this was not the case during his time as prime minister.

“The effects of economic growth were felt by the people. It is no longer the case. Something is wrong.” – February 1, 2018.