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PAS : KE ARAH PEMERINTAHAN ISLAM YANG ADIL
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Rafidah relents, wears scarf
It is not the tudung but a selendang, which
has been part of the Malay dress for
centuries, she says
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The Straits Times Interactive MAY 12, 2000
WHEN Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz took her seat at the wopening of the Umno
general assembly yesterday, she was booed by a group of male delegates.
But the new Wanita Umno chief flashed them a smile and waved.
The jeers continued for a while longer. But it was not out of disrespect
for the high-profile minister.
The group was disappointed because as far as they were concerned, she
had buckled under peer pressure.
A delegate told The Straits Times that he had never seen her wear a
selendang -- the traditional Malay scarf -- before.
Why was she falling in line with the wishes of the more conservative
section of the women's wing that insists Muslim women cover up?
Why did she apparently capitulate after months of holding the line
against party members who were challenging her refusal to cover up?
In an interview with The Straits Times, Datuk Seri Rafidah gave her side
of the story.
She made it clear that she was not wearing a tudung -- an Arabic-style
head dress -- but a selendang.
One had religious symbolism while the other has been part of the Malay
dress for centuries.
She wore the scarf to put an end to the debate on the ground that all
Muslim woman in the party should wear a tudung.
>From now on, the selendang will form part of the Wanita Umno uniform.
"Tudung is about one's personal or religious belief but we want to
ensure there is no gap between the leaders and members of Wanita Umno,"
she said, explaining her decision to meet her critics halfway.
But she warned the movement that they should not ape the Islamic
fundamentalist Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS).
"Don't ever use tudung as a political gimmick. If we do that, we will
forget who our real enemies are," she said.
"Don't allow Umno to be dragged down with petty issues. Our challenge is
to ensure the survival of the party."
Not everyone sees the issue through the same looking glass.
Many members of the women's wing and a number of male delegates feel
that to win back support in the Malay heartland, Umno has to take on a
more Islamic image.
In short, Umno members should look the part. Over the next three years,
her task will be to try and get more members to adopt a more progressive
view of religion akin to the type that Prime Minister and party
president Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad espoused during his opening
address yesterday.
No one should underestimate the task.
Just as no one should take lightly the obvious split in the women's wing
between supporters of Datuk Seri Rafidah and Datuk Seri Siti Zaharah
Sulaiman.
The narrow margin of victor -- 12 votes -- suggests that mending fences
will be a major part of the new leader's agenda. But she chose to
downplay the degree of difficulty, saying that members would close ranks
soon.
"Unity is not made. It comes from the heart. I know Wanita Umno members.
It is not about the 671 delegates who voted on Wednesday. It is about
more than a million movement members, especially at the grassroots
level," she said.
Copyright © 2000 Singapore Press Holdings. All
rights reserved.
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