"I think Mahathir has forgotten history,”

By Harakah Daily

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 21: PAS vice president Mahfuz Omar has taken former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamed to task for claiming that the Islamic party had enforced a ban on woman candidates only to reverse it for the Tenang by-election by fielding a woman.

Saying PAS had always been fielding women in elections, Mahfuz said Mahathir had forgotten history.
 
"I am surprised with Mahathir's statement alleging PAS is inconsistent. I don't know when PAS has ever barred a woman from contesting, because it appointed Khadijah as its first candidate in a three-way fight for Dungun, Terengganu," said Mahfuz, referring to Khadijah Sidek who was fielded as PAS candidate for the 1959 election.

"I think Mahathir has forgotten history," added Mahfuz.
 
Mahathir, ignoring the current women members of parliament and state representatives from PAS, had earlier claimed that PAS' decision to field Normala Sudirman in the Tenang by-election showed the party was inconsistent because it previously did not field women.
 
Normala, 38, a former teacher and PAS Labis's Muslimat chief, will be challenging Barisan Nasional's Mohd Azahar Ibrahim in the upcoming Tenang by-election on January 30.