PKR Women ready for GE16, Sabah polls
PKR Women's chief Fadhlina Sidek said preparations began earlier through various training and empowerment programmes such as 'Run-2-Win' to ensure that the women candidates participating in the electoral arena are truly ready to win.
'We focus not only on training and talent but also on preparing the idealism, speech training, data training, voter engagement training, and instilling confidence in them to enter as candidates who can win,' she said here today.
Fadhlina, who will defend her position as Women's chief in the central level elections for the 2025-2028 session, said this at a press conference after delivering her keynote address at the 18th Annual PKR Women's National Congress 2025 at the Danga Bay Convention Centre here.
The election for Women's chief will witness a one-on-one clash between Fadhlina, who is also the Education Minister, and Ampang member of parliament (MP) Rodziah Ismail.
In efforts to strengthen the line-up of women candidates, Fadhlina said PKR Women also introduced a financing initiative through the 30 Women Representatives (30Wreps) to help candidates enter the elections without having to worry about funding challenges.
The Nibong Tebal MP, who also touched on the matter in her keynote address, said that the women's talent development programmes are also being carried out through the Sekolah Wanita Keadilan (SWAN), which now operates according to zones — Eastern, Northern, Southern and Borneo — as a platform to discover and train future women leaders.
Meanwhile, she also emphasised that as a party that is now part of the government, all PKR members cannot be detached from national policies and must collectively support every government initiative for the welfare of the people.
'This includes preparations towards becoming an ageing nation by 2030, and among our members, there are those who have already reached such an age, but are very active citizens.
'It means, their preparation in politics, activism that we can see shows that we have very active citizens and they must be given attention in the overall context of how we see the preparation for them towards 2030,' she said.
She also stressed the importance of expediting the implementation of the Social Work Profession Bill, which is considered one of the important steps in providing a more effective social support ecosystem in Malaysia.
The bill is also aimed at producing more trained, professional, and effective social workers, taking into account the role of PKR members as drivers of community activities.
The PKR National Congress 2024/2025 on Friday focuses on the process of electing new party leadership for the 2025-2028 session, including the leadership of the Central Leadership Council (MPP), Central Youth Leadership Council (AMK), and Central Women's Leadership Council, from 8 am to 5 pm.
A total of 251 candidates are contesting in the elections, and they comprise 104 nominations for the MPP, AMK Leadership Council (85), and Women's Leadership Council (62).
The PKR National Congress was officiated by the Prime Minister and PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Friday night.
Meanwhile, more than PKR delegates gathered in Penampang on Thursday night to attend the simultaneous opening speeches of the Angkatan Muda Keadilan (AMK) Congress and the Women's Congress, broadcast live at the International Technology and Commercial Centre (ITCC).
The atmosphere was lively with applause and cheers from the delegates as PKR Secretary-General Dr Fuziah Salleh delivered her opening address, touching on the need for party members to set aside differences and strengthen party unity.
Delegates also appeared enthusiastic as Fuziah discussed the importance of strengthening the party in preparation for the upcoming Sabah State Election this year.
Safina Masidin, 45, from PKR Tuaran Branch, described the call for party unity as timely, especially with the state election approaching.
'As party members, we need to heed this call from the top leadership. Unity within the party is crucial for us to continue moving forward as a strong team,' she said, also emphasizing that PKR members in Sabah are ready to help strengthen the party at the grassroots level and support efforts to champion the reform agenda.
Mohd Azrul Mohd Taib, 39, from PKR Sepanggar Branch said that in line with the call, Sabah PKR needs to focus on local issues in facing the upcoming state election.
'We need to focus on issues close to the hearts of Sabahans, such as infrastructure, job opportunities for youth, and rural development. I am confident that PKR has solutions for these issues,' he said.
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