SHAHRIZAT IS NEW CHIEF OF UMNO WOMEN'S WING

KUALA LUMPUR, March 26 (Bernama) -- Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, 56, won the
coveted post of United Malays National Organisation (Umno) Women's Head after
defeating incumbent Rafidah Aziz by a 227-vote majority at the movement's
election Wednesday.

Shahrizat polled 507 votes as against 280 votes received by Rafidah.

Penang-born Shahrizat started her career as a magistrate in 1977 after
obtaining a Law Degree from Universiti Malaya in the same year and later became
a full-time lawyer with a firm before being actively involved in politics.

Starting her career in politics as a member of the Umno Economics and Women
Affairs Bureau legal team in 1987, she was elected to helm the Kepong Baru
Umno Women two years later.

She then rose in the party hierarchy after being elected as an Exco member
of Umno Women's wing for 1993-1996 term after obtaining 369 votes, and held the
post for two terms.

Her big break came when she was fielded as the ruling National Front
candidate for the Lembah Pantai parliamentary constituency 1995 amid criticisms
that she was a "parachute candidate".

However, she proved her critics wrong by winning big, defeating Mohamad
Salleh Abas of Semangat 46 by a majority of 13,261 votes, and went on to be the
constituency's MP for three terms.

In the same year, she was appointed the parliamentary secretary for the
Youth and Sports Ministry and in 1999 was made Deputy Minister in the Prime
Minister's Department.

In 2001, Shahrizat became the first leader to helm the Women, Family and
Community Development Ministry, which was then known as the Women and Family
Development Ministry, a portfolio which she held until her defeat in Lembah
Pantai in the 12th general election last year.

She lost to People's Justice Party (PKR) candidate Nurul Izzah Anwar, 27,
the daughter of PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim who won by 2,895 votes.

In Umno, the dominant party in Malaysia's ruling National Front, Shahrizat
won a seat in the Supreme Council for the first time in the 1996 party
elections, polling 915 votes and was placed 25th among the candidates.

She failed to retain the seat in the 2000 but she contested again and won
the seat in the 2004 party elections.

Despite losing in the 12th general election, she was appointed by Abdullah
Ahmad Badawi as the Muslim Women and Social Development Affairs Special
Adviser to the Prime Minister.

This is the second time Rafidah, former International Trade and Industry
minister, who has helmed the wing since 1984, was beaten by her deputy.

The first was in 1996 when she was beaten by Dr Siti Zaharah Sulaiman by a
razor thin margin of 12 votes, with Siti Zaharah getting 341 votes against
Rafidah's 329.
-- BERNAMA