The Curious Disappearance of Young Women in UMNO
UMNO has fielded only one young woman candidate in Sabah. As Johor approaches its own election cycle, many expect a similar outcome.
Naturally, this raises an important question: Does UMNO simply not have capable young women leaders?
Surely that must be the explanation.
After all, it would be difficult to believe that a party with thousands of members nationwide, spread across every state and division, could only identify one young woman worthy of contesting an election.
Perhaps the leadership has conducted an extensive search and concluded that among all those members, there is only one individual with the necessary qualities, leadership skills, grassroots experience and commitment to represent the party.
If so, then UMNO may have a bigger problem than declining electoral support.
Because if a party cannot produce young women leaders after decades of having a dedicated women’s youth wing, one has to wonder what exactly that wing exists to achieve.
When candidate lists are announced, many discover that their contributions apparently qualify them for everything except leadership.
Perhaps that is the modern definition of empowerment.
Young women are encouraged to participate, provided they understand where the invisible ceiling is.
When I first joined UMNO, my late father advised against it. He believed there was little room for young voices within the party structure.
At the time, I thought he was being overly cynical.
Today, I find myself revisiting that conversation.
The irony is that UMNO frequently speaks about renewal, transformation and attracting younger voters. Every assembly is filled with speeches about the importance of the next generation.
The words are always inspiring.
The candidate lists, however, tell a different story.
Political parties do not renew themselves through slogans. They renew themselves by trusting new leaders with real responsibility.
Not in ten years. Not after another committee appointment. Not after another round of proving themselves.
Now.
Because if UMNO truly believes there are capable young women within its ranks, then the question becomes unavoidable: Why are they not being given the opportunity?
Either way, the answer is unlikely to be found at the registration counter.
Raja Sara Petra
Raja Sara Petra (rajasarapetra@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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