Wanita members told to rally behind Najib
Published on: Monday, November 16, 2015
Kota Kinabalu: MEMBERS of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) Wanita must rally behind the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak because he is the only Prime Minister who has truly shown his concern for the needs of Sabahans.Wanita Chief Datuk Anita Baranting said among others, Najib had been very generous in distributing funds for Sabah's development and also, was the first leader who had the political will to set up the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on Illegal Immigrants in Sabah, which eventually saw PBS President Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan appointed chairman for the RCI Action Committee."There have been many accusations thrown at Najib especially with regards to 1MDB and the RM2.6billion donation. However, there is no hard evidence to prove whether these are real or simply allegations, designed to topple him.ADVERTISEMENT "Therefore, we must be careful, and let the relevant authorities do the proper investigation on the authenticity of those allegations and also to let them make transparent judgement on the issue," she said.Anita's speech was read by PBS Wanita Vice Exco Chief Datin Maliana Ugau.In all matters, she said, it is the responsibility of all members to work hard for the sake of the party, setting aside personal interests while continuing to foster cordial relationship between leaders and members, not only within PBS but also with other Barisan Nasional component parties.Anita praised the commitment shown by many members in ensuring that the party remains relevant despite various challenges including the loss of seats during the last general election.ADVERTISEMENT In the 13th general election, PBS won only seven out of 13 state legislative seats it contested while in Parliament, it lost one seat to the opposition and is currently represented by four MPs."Our mission now is to strengthen our election machinery so that we can win back all PBS seats that we lost during the election. I am proud indeed to see so many changes among our members. Many have started to step out of their comfort zone, get involved in community programmes, take part in leadership courses and also actively participating in businesses," she said.
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She said there are more members, especially in the rural areas, who courageously ventured into businesses.This, she added, is a good development because it showed that women nowadays are more aware of their role and responsibility in helping to improve their families' socio-economy."I urge you to take advantage of all the financial facilities provided by the government through various agencies such as Bank Rakyat, Mara, Tekun, Usaha Maju and Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM) which provide financial loans to start your businesses."All these agencies also provide financial advisers who will guide borrowers and I am happy to say that almost all the businesswomen who chose to take advantage of these facilities provided by the BN government, have succeeded in their respective businesses," she said.For those who have yet to go into businesses, Anita advised them to take the initiative of contacting any financial institution to seek advices on how they could convert their ideas into a money-making businesses."We must think seriously how we can improve our economy and eliminate the mentality of only relying on government for free handouts in order to live. Always bear in mind that whenever we have an idea, we must also have careful planning, high commitment, spirit of collaboration and willingness to face up to challenges," she said.Taking the example of an illiterate woman, Tarihing Masanim, who singlehandedly installed 100 solar units in her village, after undergoing a six-month course in Barefoot College in India. Despite her obvious disadvantage, Tarihing took up the challenge and completed the course, mainly through memorising the circuit boards and the how-tos of the solar units.The effort and courage of Tarihing, said Anita, is an inspiration to all women, proving that all things are possible if one is spirited, patient and earnest in achieving what one desires.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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"It is an unprecedented achievement, not only in Sabah, but also in the whole of Malaysia. If Tarihing can do it, then why can't we? I believe that nothing is impossible, provided that we really want it and work hard for it," she said.A total of 448 PBS Wanita members attended the congress, including 255 delegates, 34 PBS Women Exco and 159 observers.