Dato’ Sri Hajjah Rohani Haji Abdul Karim (born 3 January 1955) is the incumbent MP for the Batang Lupar constituency in Sarawak, representing the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB).
In 2013 she was appointed as the federal Minister of Women, Family and Community Development in the Barisan Nasional coalition government, having previously served as Deputy Minister for Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism and Deputy Minister for Agriculture and Agro-based Industries.
Her election records are very outstanding. In 1990 she won handsomely against PERMAS candidate Wan Zainal Abidin Wan Sanusi with 10,200 votes against her opponent’s 2832. In the subsequent election of 1995 she bettered her majority with 11,702 votes (83 per cent) when pitted against an Independent candidate Paruwadi Musa who garnered 1,791 votes. When contesting against PKR candidate in 1999, Rohani obtained 7,955 votes as compared to Hussaini Hamdan’s (from PKR) who got 6,060 votes (43 per cent). In all the three aforesaid elections she was the BN candidate (PBB) for the Santubong Parliamentary constituency. In the 2004 General Election she was fielded as BN candidate for Batang Lupar Parliamentary constituency and won unopposed. In the 2008 General Election (GE12) she stood in the Batang Lupar constituency to defend the seat for BN and won handsomely with 11,015 votes (77 per cent) against PAS candidate Abang Eddy Allyanni’s 2,933. For the subsequent GE13 in 2013 in the Batang Lupar constituency Rohani won with the same margin (77 per cent) when she was once again pitted against Abang Zulkifli bin Abang Engkeh (PKR) who garnered 4,661 votes.
Now in this GE14, there were early rumours that she was among one of PBB’s stalwarts to be dropped as she is a six-term MP. But due to her good performance as minister and her popularity with the constituents, Rohani has been given the green light by the party to go for her seventh term as MP and she is one of the two women full ministers from PBB in the national cabinet. And on last April 25 her name was included among the 14 from PBB to contest in GE14 as announced by State PBB Chairman Datuk Patinggi (Dr) Abang Johari Tun Openg who is also Sarawak Chief Minister.
Rohani, 63, has a humble beginning. This writer first met her in the Lower Six Arts classroom of Methodist Secondary School (MSS) Sibu and after a week or two became a good friend to her and few other girls, thanks to being an ever-willing classmate when it came to buying ‘Malay kuih’ from nearby Kampong Nyabor during the 30-minute morning interval whose starting bell rang at 10am. Though not a Sibu native, she was in MSS Sibu, following her father who was a government servant there.
She obtained her first degree in Universiti Pertanian Malaysia (UPM) in Kuala Lumpur majoring in ‘Agrotani’ and later did a post graduate degree in Ohio University in USA after which she moved higher in her government job prior to becoming a full-time politician.
Their (Rohani’s and the writer’s) last meeting was during the wedding of Rohani’s second daughter at Pullman Kuching attended by Governor Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud and CM Abang Johari accompanied by their wives. Prior to this they also met at reunions with former classmates held at different locations in Kuching. These are testaments that her busy schedules as a minister do not deter her from meeting friends. And all her former classmates – comprising Malays, Melanau, Iban and Chinese – agree that Rohani is the same girl of 1973-74. She is still the joking, caring, kind and generous individual loved by all irrespective of who and what you are and most of all, she never forgets her friends. She endears and warms speedily to people around her and this probably has become one of her strong points.
Once, in jest, the writer said to her: “Actually, you have done well, but you haven’t achieved your aim yet.”
“What is that?” she asked.
This author replied, “To be PM; that was what you wrote in my autograph in 1974 before we parted.”
She just laughed without saying anything.
Her job as a full minister has brought her around to all corners of the nation where she has had the opportunity to serve and lend help to millions of Malaysians from all walks of life, including her own constituents in Batang Lupar, and prior to that, in Santubong.
In Parliament on last April 3, Rohani said the government planned to draft a gender equality bill to balance the roles of men and women in the nation’s development. She said the proposed act aims to bridge gender inequality between women and men by incorporating Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (Cedaw) principles in Malaysian laws.
To do justice to her own constituents in P201 Batang Lupar, on 5 Jan this year she was present to officiate at the Special Grants Handing over Ceremony held in Sri Aman where 28 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) received the funds to finance their activities. She also handed help to some needy constituents in Batang Lupar.
Also in Putrajaya, on last 20 March, Rohani, in her ministerial capacity launched the care services My PapaCare. This was done following the huge success of the earlier MamaCare, a programme providing holistic postnatal care services for mothers. Upon the successful training of 100 My PapaCare practitioners within a year, about 10,000 men will be able to use the services of male reflexogy practitioners with the charge of just RM1 per minute, similar to that of MamaCare’s.
She certainly has done extremely well as an MP and minister and if she succeeds this time, and possibly remaining status quo as a full minister, this bubbly lady and mother of three, has still a lot to offer to the country, especially to her own constituents.
