SIBU: Second Finance Minister and Minister of Local Government and Community Development Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh said he would look into a request to appoint women community leaders in Miri.
Speaking at the SUPP Sibu branch Parents’ Day celebration hosted by its women’s section on Friday, Wong, who is also the branch chairman, said this request was forwarded in a meeting in Kuching attended by a political secretary to the Chief Minister Suzanne Lee.
He said Lee had made the appeal because she said there had not been any appointment of women community leaders in Miri.
Wong said it was mentioned then that there were already four women kapitans and one woman penghulu in Sibu while Miri had none.
The Community Development Minister admitted that women played a key social and political role with their male counterparts.
He cited an example, saying the appointment of SUPP Sibu Women chief Datuk Janet Lau as a woman kapitan had helped her to play a key role in social welfare development.
He said this balance of gender power had been shared in a give-and-take spirit.
Wong assured he would help to arrange and to look into Lee’s request.
In the Friday gathering, Wong also called on women party members to gear up for the 13th General Election, saying this could turn out to be the life-and-death battle for SUPP.
He said in the recent Sibu by-election and state election, the opposition had imported undesirable elements from Peninsular Malaysia.
“You must therefore gear up with strategies to face the onslaught of the attack courageously. Protect Lanang seat held by Datuk Tiong Thai King and wrest back Sibu seat from DAP.”
He said party members must also step up cyber warfare in election propaganda, adding this was what the opposition had been making use of.
“It is easy for them to stir up baseless issues and let them go viral in the internet. But, I do not encourage our members to resort to such tactics. We
must base our propaganda on facts and evidence. We
must tell the truth to the people.”
He said members should share the policies of Barisan Nasional and promote their candidates.
He said the people had seen the political reality in the state election aftermath.
“In the state cabinet now, there is only one Chinese minister out of 11; of the 55 State seats held by the Barisan Nasional, only two (representatives) are from the Chinese community.
“This imbalance of political power sharing among the races must not continue to happen. The support of Chinese community cannot afford to slide further in the government, or else, we shall lose power.”
He said in reality, the people must see to the political chips in their hands, and if the Chinese community had none, they would lose out.
On the two recommended SUPP candidates in Sibu – Temenggong Vincent Lau and Datuk Tiong Thai King, he said both were respected leaders.
“Lau is the paramount community leader of the Chinese community while Tiong is the chairman of Sibu Municipal Council.”