Wanita Umno rejects age limit proposal
KUALA LUMPUR: Wanita Umno has rejected a proposal to limit the entrance of new women members under the age of 35 only through the Puteri wing.
Wanita chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat Jalil said the decision to reject the proposal was not personal.
“We just want women to be given the right to choose to either become a Wanita or Puteri member,” she said, adding that there was no competition between the two wings on membership or other issues.
“In fact, we are planning to have more joint programmes, especially in the run-up to the general election,” she said.
It had been proposed that younger women who want to become Umno members do so through Puteri and later “graduate” to the senior wing when they reach the age of 35.
The proposal was accepted by the supreme council but was later rejected by the Wanita wing. Under the Umno constitution, membership in Puteri is limited to women under the age of 35 while the maximum age for its leader is 40.
Shahrizat said despite perceptions in the contrary, both movements enjoyed good relations because “we in Wanita consider Puteri members as our daughters”.
“We work well together especially at the party’s election machinery level,” she said.
Puteri chief Datuk Rosnah Rashid Shirlin also said her movement enjoyed the best of relations with Shahrizat and her members.