KUALA LUMPUR, 3 FEBRUARY, 2012: Former Wanita Umno chief Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz been chided by fellow Umno leaders for asking her successor to step down over the National Feedlot Centre (NFC) scandal, reported The Star.

Kedah Wanita chief Datuk Maznah Hamid said Wanita members had backed Rafidah (pic) when she was at the center of the Approved Permit (AP) issue in 2005.

Rafidah's career was almost derailed when she was accused of giving unfair allocations of APs for imported cars when she was International Trade and Industry Minister.

“Why is Rafidah quick to blame her successor (Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil) when the authorities have yet to complete their investigations?'' Maznah said yesterday.

She was responding to a report which quoted Rafidah as saying that those who had become a burden to the party should give up their posts.

Maznah, who is a Wanita exco member, said many of the movement's members had questioned Rafidah's remarks.

“They told me that they were puzzled over Rafidah's motive for asking Shahrizat to take the rap for a business matter involving her husband.

“There is no law in the world that penalizes a spouse whose partner is involved in a business deal that has gone awry,” she added.

Maznah chided the former minister for using the media to criticize a Wanita comrade.

She also said that Wanita members had stated that Shahrizat should continue to lead the women’s wing.

Rafidah had said in an English tabloid that vacating all posts is the most matured way of dealing with the problem, whether it is related to cows or anything else, adding it should not be left to the Prime Minister to decide.

She was also quoted saying such leaders should not pass the burden to party leadership, as they do not fit Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's definition of a “winnable candidate”.