Women Inspiring Women

Tomorrow we celebrating International Women's Day and theSun published this article today    

Headline : Inspiring Women 
By Bissme S 

Tomorrow is International Women’s Day, a day where we celebrate women who play an important role in enriching all our lives. To mark this occasion, theSun asked 12 Malaysian personalities, who are celebrities in their own right, about the particular lady who has inspired each one of them. It is a story of women inspiring women. 

*Nisah Haron(author)

“The lateTan Sri Aishah Ghani, the first Malaysian woman senator. Readingher book, Ibu Melayu  Mengelilingi Dunia – Dari Rumah ke London, I learnt that she had to leave behind her husband and  three small children to pursue her studies in London.As a woman, wife and mother, I understand  that it must have been difficult. That was her sacrifice to obtain her dream. Her book has  inspired me to write my own travelogue, Kembara Sastera Nisah Haron, when I did a backpacking  trip to the UK and Ireland in 2011.”
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*Marina Mahathir (activist and columnist)

“It’s Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali, my mother. Her father sent her off to study medicine in Singapore and she was one of the few Malay women there. She really slogged through it, failed her first year and had to repeat it. She also failed in her final year and had to repeat once again. So, she took two years longer than everyone else.Still, that discipline and perseverance  served her well because she became the second Malay woman doctor in the country then. I remember one time whenshe was on TV, she talked about how unhappy she was about bad that was for the  first wives. She does not shy away from defending what she believes in.”
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*Raja Azmi Raja Sulaiman (film producer)

“For me, it’s Oprah Winfrey. Her talk show is so inspiring and she’s helped so many people through her shows. Early in her career, Oprah faced discrimination as an African-American  hosting her own show. But she has not allowed her critics to get to her.In future, I would like to work towards having my own talk show just like her.”
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*SalamiahHassan (singer)

“It’s Tina Turner for me. The singer has gone through terrible tragedies, including physical abuse. But her spirit was not broken.Of course, I am always envious of her beautiful legs and
wish mine was like hers!”
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*Noor Suraya (author)

“I chose Cut Nyak Dien. She is an Aceh freedom fighter who’s fought against the Dutch.In her struggle for freedom, she went blind and almost starved to death. She’s from an aristocratic family but she sacrificed her comfortable life for the sake of the people and for the land she loved so much.”
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*Vanidah Imran (actress)

“Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz, the governor of Bank Negara Malaysia. People say if you want to succeed in a man’s world, you have to be one of the boys. But Zeti has retained her femininity
and still wears the baju kurung to work.I always tell my daughter Maryam, who is 10, to study  hard and be as intelligent as my idol.”
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*Fauziah Nawi (film director and actress) 

“Salmiah Sidek, my late mother. My late father worked in an optical company and his wage was not enough to support his five children. So my mother sold cakes as she wanted her children to  live comfortably. She was always the last to go to bed and always the first to get up.”
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*Norhayati Kaprawi (documentary maker)

“Sharifah Zuriah Al Jeffry, a visual artist and my neighbour. She is so positive and full of zest. She keeps telling me that there is always something new to learn every day, so never stop  learning. I was shocked when she told me that she only learnt how to do the batik in her 60s and  she continues to sell her batik scarves till this day.”

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*Mislina Mustaffa (actress and activist)

"Linda Andre is my idol. She was a stranger until I met her last year and now we have become friends. She is 72 and is an Indonesian Chinese who is a British citizen. She did not let her old age and her diabetic condition stop her from travelling and seeing the world.”
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*Adibah Noor (singer)

“For me, it’s Norlia Abdul Majid, my mother. As a child, she was treated as a scapegoat. As a mother, she has gone through hell and back just to put food on the table for her four children and then to get them educated – so that her children could live comfortable lives.”
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*Shuhaimi Baba (film director)

“J.K. Rowling. Her journey to success was not an easy one. Her book (Harry Porter) was rejected numerous times. But she did not let go of her dream. Her perseverance was so inspiring. She  teaches us to hold on to our dreams and to never give up.”
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* Melinda Looi (fashion designer)

“My late grandmother. My motherwas struggling to bring up six children while running her tailoring business. There were times when we couldn’t even afford to pay for the basics.So, my  grandma would help by selling flowers and sugarcane that she had planted.I really admire her strong personality, and often think of her whenever I am faced with challenges in my own life.”