THE 15th general election (GE15), scheduled for November 19, is unlikely to see Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) Women’s wing deputy chief Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim defend her Batang Lupar seat.
According to party insiders, Rohani, who would be going for her eighth term if she contests, has been notified of the party leadership’s decision.
She is a well-known figure in politics, having turned 67 on January 3, but the party as a whole needs to offer backup leaders and fresher faces given the circumstances and state of the country’s politics at the moment.
Prior to politics Rohani worked as a management analysis officer for the Malaysian Administrative Modernisation And Management Planning Unit (MAMPU) Sarawak Branch before becoming an agricultural economist for the then- Ministry of Agriculture and Community Development in Sarawak.
In 1998, she was made Director of the Sarawak Women’s Bureau at the Social Development Ministry, and shortly after that, she was approached to join politics.
The mother of three was elected as a Barisan Nasional (BN)-PBB candidate in Santubong, where she garnered 10,200 votes against her opponent, Wan Zainal Wan Sanusi, an accountant from the Permas party, who gained only 1,791 votes.
In the general election (GE) of 1995, Rohani successfully retained her seat, after staving off a challenge from young businessman Datuk Paruwadi Musa, who stood as an Independent.
Paruwadi received a mere 1,791 votes compared to Rohani who polled 11,702 votes.
Rohani again strongly defended her seat in 1999, at the height of the Reformation era.
Ustaz Husaini Hamdan, the candidate for the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), presented a stiff fight, but Rohani prevailed, receiving 7,955 votes to Husaini’s 6,060.
This victory led to her appointment as Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Rural Development Malaysia from December 13, 1999 until 2004.
In 2004, Rohani was ordered to switch constituencies with Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, a member of parliament for Batang Lupar, by the party leadership.
This shift brought her “luck,” as she went on to win unopposed in her new parliamentary area.
She was then appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry.
Rohani fought to retain her seat in the 2008 GE. This time, she made short work of Abang Eddy Alliyani Abang Fauzi, the Sarawak PAS Youth leader who managed to get just 2,923 votes, against Rohani’s 11,015.
This victory opened the door for her to be promoted and she was appointed Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry, after the position of Parliamentary Secretary was abolished.
She graduated in Agricultural Business from Universiti Pertanian Malaysia (UPM) in 1979, thus she genuinely holds a very special place in her heart for this position.
Later, she continued her education while working towards earning a master’s from UiTM and an Executive Master’s from Ohio University in the USA.
In the 2010 cabinet reshuffle, Rohani was given new responsibilities, becoming Deputy to Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaacob at the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives, and Consumerism Ministry.
In 2013, Rohani remained the BN-PBB anchor. She was challenged this time by PKR candidate Abang Zulkifli Abang Engkeh. But experience paid off for this Simanggang woman, who received 15,625 votes to defeat Abang Zul, who received only 4,661 votes.
After this triumph, the then-prime minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak nominated Rohani and a few of her fellow Sarawakians as full ministers, ushering in a new era for her.
Rohani was appointed to the portfolio of Women, Family and Community Development Minister starting May 15, 2013.
This was a significant moment for Rohani because it propelled her to national prominence in politics.
The Child Act (Amendment) 2016, which has four main amendments – child registry, community service order (CSO), a family-based care and heavier penalty – was of course this female hero’s greatest and most significant accomplishment.
The punishment for child offenders has been increased to a fine of RM50,000 and 20 years in prison for the offence of abusing, neglecting, and persecuting children.
This Act also permits the creation of an offender record in cases involving children to be used as a reference for employers.
In fact, Rohani was quite successful in her role as Sarawak’s first female federal minister, taking up a position traditionally held by the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) and Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) parties.
Rohani contested for reelection in GE14. In a three-corner fight, she garnered 14,204 votes, beating Ustaz Wan Abdillah Wan Ahmad (PAS), who received 3,927 votes, and Narudin Mentali, who obtained 2,020.
Rohani was however relegated to the opposition bloc for the first time after BN lost the election.
Now, rumour has it that Rohani, who serves as the chairman of Padiberas Nasional Berhad (BERNAS) and SADA, the Sri Aman Development Agency, will not be nominated again.
Instead, a 37-year-old PBB Youth Exco is one of the names that has been submitted to the higher ups of Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS).
The Batang Lupar Parliament had 30,039 registered voters as of the 2021, and that number is anticipated to rise as a result of the automatic registration of 18-year-olds that began in January.
