The Sabah and national Barisan Nasional (BN) leadership should give serious consideration to the proposal that 20 women candidates be fielded in the coming 14th general election (GE14).

State Assistant Minister of Resource Development and Information Technology Datuk Hamisa Samat said the matter should be given serious consideration as the names of the state women leaders being proposed were winnable candidates with potential and credibility.

According to her, the proposed lineup of women candidates also showed the state leadership recognised the role and involvement of women as policy makers.

"It cannot be denied that all this while BN Wanita constantly go down to the ground to help care take of the people's welfare and getting to know them at close range.

"Hence the candidacy of women as members of Parliament or state assemblymen in the GE14 is appropriate," she said in a statement here today.

Hamisa, who is also Tanjung Batu assemblyman, said the proposed 20 names as state BN Wanita candidates also showed that Sabah had capable women leaders.

Recently Sabah BN Wanita chairman Datuk Armani Mahiruddin said she had submitted a list of 20 BN Wanita candidates, comprising old and new faces, to contest in the GE14 to BN Wanita chairman Tan Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.

-- BERNAMA