Rohani denies announcing she will step down

Friday, 09 March 2012 11:10 Sarawak Tribune

KUCHING: Member of Parliament for Batang Lupar Datuk Hajah Rohani Abdul Karim denied ever making an announcement that she will step down from politics.

“I have been on the ground to serve the people in my constituency since day one after the last general election and has not stopped until now,” she said when met by the press after officiating at the Ninth Anniversary of Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia at a hotel here yesterday.

“I have never made such an announcement but am wondering why someone is announcing to the public that he/she will replace me as I am sick and unable to serve my constituents,” she said, adding that the announcement can confuse to the people especially the constituents.

“The list of candidates for the respective constituencies in the state is decided by the BN leadership and no one can dispute it,” she said.

Rohani who is also Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism said everyone has to accept whatever the decision not matter how hard it is.

When asked by the press whether she still wants to be nominated for the coming general election, Rohani said that many incumbents are hoping and praying that they will be re-nominated because the ‘fighting’ for the people will never end.

There are also rumours that Rohani may contest in her former constituency of Santubong which is now under the Deputy Speaker of Parliament Datuk Dr Haji Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.

“It is up to the highest leadership to decide on the matter.I will follow whatever the ‘bosses’ said,” she said regarding the matter.

In the last general election, Rohani had swapped her seat with Junaidi who was then the MP for Batang Lupar.

The swapping however did not do any damage as both seats were won by the Barisan Nastional (BN).