Ex-woman Nominated YBs back call
Published on: Wednesday, June 20, 2018
Kota Kinabalu: Pioneering nominated assemblywomen like Kolnah Ghani and Datuk Leong Pau Chu, now in their seventies, support the call by fellow women for the appointment of women as nominated members of the State Legislative Assembly."As women are recognised as equal partners in government, we anticipate a fairer and more inclusive legislature to ensure that women are not left out from mainstream development," they told Daily Express when contacted, Monday.Kolnah could not say much as she has been warded at the National Heart Institute (IJN), Kuala Lumpur, following a mild stroke last week.
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Having a woman as a political secretary or nominated member of the State Legislative Assembly was unthinkable in the sixties, even after the State's first elections in 1967.Unsurprisingly, as women professionals were few and far in between in the sixties and seventies.But all that changed after the 1975 State Election which saw the defeat of the Usno-led Government by Berjaya led by Tun Fuad Stephens who went on to become the Chief Minister of Sabah. Kolnah, then a rural health nurse, was handpicked by Berjaya to contest the Kuala Kinabatangan seat (Sukau) in the election. She lost but was not sidelined.
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On the contrary, she was appointed as a political secretary making history as the first Sabahan woman to hold the post.This historic move came at a time when women civil servants were discriminated against in terms of job opportunities, terms and conditions of service, and promotion.
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In 1976, the political landscape took a new twist following the tragic plane crash which claimed the lives of Tun Fuad Stephens and 10 others in June that year.Stephens'wife, Toh Puan Rahimah was catapulted into the tumultuous political arena and nominated as a candidate for the Kiulu seat which was left vacant by her husband's demise. She won the by-election and instantly became the Minister of Social Welfare, hitting newspaper headlines as Sabah's first woman Cabinet Minister.It was then that Kolnah created history again when Datuk Harris Salleh (now Tan Sri), who succeeded Stephens as Chief Minister, appointed her as a Nominated Assemblywoman as well as Assistant Minister to Rahimah, adding to her string of firsts.Incidentally, Noni Said (now Datuk), who was the first Malay woman from Sabah to graduate from the University of Malaya in 1975, joined the civil service as an administrative officer with the Ministry of Social Services. She was assigned to Kolnah.Meanwhile, Harris handpicked Leong Pau Chu (now Datuk), a Sino-Murut teacher from Tenom, to become Political Secretary to Rahimah in 1976.In 1984, Datin Norsuadah Hj Basah was sworn in as a Nominated Assemblywoman paving the way for her to be appointed Assistant Minister. Leong was reappointed Political Secretary and later as Nominated Assemblywoman until April 1985 when Berjaya was defeated by Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) in the polls.On the advice of then Chief Minister Datuk Joseph Pairin Kitingan, then businesswoman Ariah Tengku Ahmad (now Datuk) was appointed as a Nominated Member of the State Assembly by the Governor to facilitate her appointment as Minister of Social Welfare, succeeding Rahimah. In the 1986 fresh State Election, Ariah contested on a PBS ticket and won the Kawang seat. She served as Kawang Assemblywoman and Minister of Social Services for two terms (1986-1990 & 1990-1994), and was appointed Deputy Chief Minister in 1993, the first Sabahan woman to rise to this rank.Kolnah and Leong were regarded as "role models" by virtue of their unprecedented appointments which were reportedly an eye-opener because prior to that, the perception among women was that only the men were qualified to hold political positions."Women from the interior came to me and commented, 'Wah, perempuan pun boleh pula' (Wow, women also can be politicians). All the time it was thought that women's place was in the kitchen and they could only take a back seat when it came to politics," Leong recalled.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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