No titles please, ‘Kak’ will do
KUALA TERENGGANU: One is a Toh Puan and the other is a Datuk, but Terengganu Barisan Nasional’s women candidates both insist on being called just Kak (short for kakak or big sister).
But beneath their humble demeanour, both women have a strong fighting spirit and are determined to wrest the state seats from the Opposition.
Marang Wanita Umno division chief Toh Puan Zaiton Mat Amin, the candidate for Bukit Payung, and Dungun Wanita Umno division chief Datuk Zainun Abu Bakar, who will stand in Sura, believe their hard work on the ground will pay off in the 14th General Election.
“If we win, we’ll provide Terengganu women with a voice in the state assembly,” said Zaiton, 61.
It is the first time Terengganu Barisan has fielded women candidates in a general election in 10 years.
The first time it did so was in 2008, when Nordiana Shafie lost her bid for the Batu Buruk state seat to PAS’ Syed Azman Syed Nawawi.
However, this statistic has no effect on Zaiton and Zainun’s confi- dence going into the polls.
“I am a native of Bukit Payung and we have worked hard to cultivate good ties with the constituents.
“I hope our hard work will be rewarded with a win for Barisan,” said Zaiton.
Zainun, 65, is determined to bring more development to Sura, especially for youths.
“If Barisan wins, I hope to make it easy for them to own homes,” said the former senator.
Bukit Payung and Sura are currently held by PAS’ Mohd Nor Hamzah and Wan Hapandi Wan Nik respectively.