Rosnah, who led the wing from 2009 to 2013, said Puteri Umno needed more young leaders to engage the youth, particularly since the voting age had been lowered to 18.

The Umno Supreme Council member said the wing should serve as a platform for shaping youth leaders and giving them opportunities to gain experience from a young age.

“Umno already has its political school, so Puteri Umno can leverage that platform for leadership training. There’s no need to fear challenges if we’re committed to nurturing exceptional leaders,” she told FMT.

Rosnah was commenting on Umno vice-president Khaled Nordin’s statement yesterday that the party was mulling amending its electoral process and increasing the age limit for members in the Puteri wing from 35 to 40.

Khaled said these changes were part of a broader structural change Umno intends to make in view of current challenges.

Rosnah claimed that several other Puteri Umno leaders shared her views on the proposal to change the age limit for the wing.

“The current age limit does not need to be changed,” she said.

The former deputy health minister also warned that raising the age limit could create overlapping roles between Puteri and Wanita Umno.

“We now have six former Puteri chiefs, and the transition (of leaders) from the Puteri wing to the Wanita wing has been smooth all this while. Why disrupt this dynamic?

“Why not harmonise the roles instead, allowing Puteri Umno to focus on the younger generation? That’s its objective — to produce leaders,” said Rosnah, who is also the Papar Wanita Umno chief.

The Puteri wing was established in 2000, with Azalina Othman Said as its first chief, followed by Noraini Ahmad, Rosnah, Mas Ermieyati Samsudin, Zahida Zarik Khan, and its current leader, Nurul Amal Fauzi.

Mas Ermieyati, however, left Umno following the party’s defeat in the 14th general election and subsequently became an independent MP before joining Bersatu in 2018. She is currently Wanita Bersatu chief.