LANGKAWI: The Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for Ayer Hangat here not only has to convince voters here that she is their ideal candidate, but also that she is a real woman.
"I am not a man, I am a real, genuine woman," said Hisham Suhaily Othman.
Hisham Suhaily, 46, said that she had stepped forward to provide clarity and set the record straight to address any misunderstanding, confusion or questions from some people who kept on saying that the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate contesting for the seat is apparently a man.
"Well I am comfortable with the name since I was a little girl, because it was bestowed upon me by my late parents.
"It's just that there is always confusion and questions posed from people when they see my name without looking at my face or picture," she said.
She added that it became odd for some when two and two were put together.
"This issue of having a man's name happened because my late father wanted the name Hisham for each and every child of his," she said on the sidelines of the people's breakfast programme at Pengkalan Nelayan Taman Nilam here earlier today (August 7).
The Umno Langkawi women's chief said that just for everyone's knowledge or information, she has a brother by the name of Hishamsul.
"Actually my name in the birth certificate is written in one word as Hishamsuhaily, but when I turned 12-years-old and went to get my Identification Card (IC) done, my name was somehow split into two becoming Hisham Suhaily which I have had to use and go by until now.
"Before this I was not really bothered about it , but when there are questions from some voters here in this area and to avoid any further confusion on this matter, I had to set the record straight," she said.
For the upcoming state election come August 12, the state seat of Ayer Hangat will see Hisham Suhaily locking horns with Shamsilah Siru from Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), with competition from two other independent candidates, Safwan Hanif Shafie and Zulfadli Mohd Yusof.
