After leading the Wanita Umno movement for nine years, Tan Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil calls it a day.
Shahrizat said she will not defend her Wanita Umno chief post in the party polls on June 23.
“I decided not to offer myself after seriously considering the strident voices of the rakyat who want change and renewal in Umno.
“The time has come for Wanita Umno to be led by a new leader who can bring new ways and ideas to get support, not just from Wanita Umno, but from the rakyat,” Shahrizat said in a statement yesterday.
“Wanita Umno has many potential leaders who are experienced, young and energetic. I’m sure if they are given the opportunity to lead Wanita Umno, they will do a good job especially in serving the people.
“I urge all Wanita Umno members to maintain their spirits, as the wing is the backbone of the party,” she added.
She thanked the more than 1.3 million Wanita Umno members for the opportunity to lead the wing as well as the trust and loyalty towards her
A former magistrate, 64-year-old Shahrizat won the Lembah Pantai parliamentary seat in the 1995 general election.
She was appointed to the Cabinet in 2001 and has been Wanita Umno chief since 2009.
Shahrizat lost Lembah Pantai to PKR’s Nurul Izzah Anwar in the 2008 elections.
She later became embroiled in the National Feedlot Corporation issue.
The three wings in Umno – Wanita Umno, Umno Youth and Puteri Umno – will hold their internal election on June 23.
The election for positions in the party’s supreme council will be held on June 30.