After ousting Rafidah, #Shahrizat now eyes 'iron lady' title?

Jan 3: Has UMNO finally discovered its next iron lady? This could be the case judging by the latest adamant statement from its Wanita head, Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.

Towards the end of last year, DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang suggested that it was inevitable that Shahrizat, who has been mired in her involvement with the scandal-plagued National Feedlot Corporation, would have to call it a day.


So far, Lim has been proven wrong. While the title of 'iron lady' was last assumed by Shahrizat's predecessor, former International Trade and Industry minister  Rafidah Aziz - who was defeated by Shahrizat in a stiff challenge for Wanita UMNO's number one post in 2009 - she seemed to be steadily inching her way to replace Rafidah in that department as well.
She has stayed put in spite of shocking revelations and documents exposing how her family had abused a government loan of RM250 million to develop cattle-rearing, purchasing everything from a Mercedez Benz to a luxury condominium unit across the causeway.

In her latest response to intense speculation of her political future, Shahrizat issued a vehement denial that she had handed in her resignation letter to prime minister Najib Razak.

“These are merely rumours, something that the opposition wants to happen,” she was quoted by Bernama.

The former Lembah Pantai member of parliament, who was brought back to the cabinet following her shock defeat to rookie Nurul Izzah Anwar of PKR, had earlier hinted that UMNO was rife with problematic leaders, reflecting her disappointment by calls from from within the party for her to quit.

“Tell me, which UMNO leader does not have problem?” she asked as reported by Chinese daily Sin Chew, December 18.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency, in an about-turn from its previous stance that the NFC scandal was a police case, had announced the setting-up of a special team headed by its investigation director Mustafar Ali.

Todate however, the only action taken was against a businessman who allegedly approached NFC's embattled chairman, Shahrizat's husband Mohamad Salleh Ismail, promising a safe way out from the investigations.