Briefly

  

All a-buzz over ‘Salam 30’

THE buzzword among Wanita Umno delegates is “Salam 30”. The wing is demanding that there be at least 30% female candidates in the next general election. Wanita Umno chief Tan Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil made the call to the party lea­dership in her speech at the wing’s assembly yes­­terday. There’s even a hand gesture to symbolise the call – three fingers on one hand held up, with the thumb and index finger touching to form an “o”. Shahrizat quipped that the world would be a quiet place without men­folk but Umno, without wo­­men, would be quite unimagi­nable.

A book on moderation

A BOOK highlighting the principle of wasatiyyah (moderation) has been rolled out. “Wasatiyyah & Media Sosial” was launched yesterday, concurrently with the “Wasatiyyah & Perjuangan” cartoon and comic showcase by well-known Malaysian cartoonists. In the book’s introduction, Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak touched on the challenges he faced in dealing with information overload including defamatory remarks about his management. He outlined strategies and methods that should be practised to curb the habit of using social media as a reference point, to the extent of rejecting the principle of ‘fiqh tabayyun’ (fact-checking).

Call her Kak Pipi Pom Pom

A FIRST time speaker at the Puteri Um­­­no assembly captivated the hearts of delegates who usually had to put up with quite monotone spee­­ches. “Call me Kak Pipi Pom Pom,” Pahang delegate Norsafinaz Mohd Azman said, in reference to singer Elly Mazlein’s other per­sona ‘Kak Lina Pom Pom’ in the singing contest Gegar Vagan­­za. She blamed social illness in Malaysia on the pervasiveness of entertainment. “It’s proven from the top trending topics. Number One is Gegar Vaganza. Um­­­­no general assembly is only number five,” she said.

Mandarin class proposal

 A WANITA Umno delegate from Perak has suggested that the Government introduce Manda­rin classes in primary schools. This would be in line with the Prime Minister’s move to attract investments from China, said Pasir Salak Wanita chief Datuk Dr Wan Norashikin Wan Noor­din. She also suggested that a second deputy-president post be created, meant for the Wanita chief.