JEDDAH: Nonagenarian Naela Mohammed Salih Naseef, fondly called “Thatcher Naela” by her relatives and friends, is on Cloud 9 for casting her ballot for Lama Al-Sulaiman who won the recent municipal council election.

Naela Naseef, aged 94, did not let her advanced age stop her from going in person to the election center and cast her vote, local media has reported.

Naela, a former teacher and mentor for children in the family, is the mother of Nazih Naseef, former secretary of Jeddah. She learned a great deal from her father, Mohammed Salah Naseef, a former minister during the reign of King Abdul Aziz. She learned important lessons of strength, liberty, freedom of expression and patience during difficult times. She also inherited the genes of success from her grandfather, Omar Naseef, who was at the helm of affairs in Jeddah during the reign of King Abdul Aziz.

Naela says she was overcome with joy “to see her vote counted” and that she was happy to be able to vote for Al-Sulaiman who she views as “qualified and capable of representing and advancing the voice of women in municipal councils.” As a woman who was always proud to carry out charity work without covering her face, she says she learned from her father not to cover her face so that people could see her and realize her strength and the efforts she made; she could thus motivate them to follow her example.

Sahar, Naela’s daughter, says her mother “is very intelligent, reads a lot, and is respected by all. She is especially good at reading faces and getting an impression about someone from the first meeting.”

“Other women turn to her for advice concerning their family affairs because of her wisdom and valuable insight,” she says.