JOHOR BARU: Two women in the Johor DAP set-up have created history by being appointed to the state party's top two positions.
Teo Nie Ching will be Johor DAP chairman for the new term, with Wong Shu Qi as her deputy, following today's state party election.
Teo, who is Kulai member of parliament and deputy communications minister, is the first woman to be Johor DAP chairman.
She and Wong, who is Kluang MP, will lead Johor DAP in facing the 16th General Election (GE16) and the 16th state election, both of which are expected in less than two years.
Teo, who was state DAP deputy chairman before this, takes over from Deputy Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Liew Chin Tong, who had held the position for a decade but decided to make way for a new leader.
Liew had thrown his support behind Teo in the lead-up to today's election.
Meanwhile, another female leader — Penggaram assemblyman and former Johor deputy speaker Gan Peck Cheng — was appointed vice-chairman, along with Paloh assemblyman Sheikh Umar Bagharib Ali.
Teo, Wong and Gan garnered the third, eighth and ninth most votes during the election.
Meanwhile, Teo said her appointment was both an honour and a huge responsibility.
She said, as the first Johor DAP chairman, she owed a debt of gratitude to Liew who had sacrificed a decade of his career to strengthen and lead the state party.
"As Wanita DAP chief, I am proud to say that, of the 20 new state party committee members, nine are women, making up 45 per cent of the lineup.
"This is the highest representation of women among any of the state DAP committees in the country.
"Women are not mere symbols (in the party), but must be given responsibilities to lead. This is proof of gender empowerment and DAP's commitment to gender equality and the empowerment of women in its leadership.
"We will continue to advocate for these values and strive for greater representation and inclusivity in the future," she said.