DAP has lashed out at UMNO legal adviser Mohd Hafarizam Harun for his discriminatory remark about women. Yesterday Hafarizam had opined that Dr Wan Azizah was unsuitable as the new Selangor Menteri Besar post, stating “uzur syarie” [menses] as a major hindrance in fulfilling her duty to accompany the Sultan at religious functions.
“His statement is not only a discrimination against Kak Wan, but it is also a discrimination against the entire womankind!”
“Does he have any respect for his own mother and the mother of his children?” asked Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching.
She said that Hafarizam did not understand the role of a Menteri Besar, reminding that the post entails carrying out pro-rakyat policies.
“Who says women cannot be good leaders?” she asked, exampling Bank Negara Malaysia governor Dr Zeti Aziz, who was named by the Global Finance magazine as one of the world’s best central bank chief in 2009 and achieving the “Grade A” amongst the head of central banks for the 10th time in 2013.
“Not all countries led by men are prosperous.”
“Many male leaders have also brought misery to their own people. So why discriminate women?” she asked.
Teo also demanded former Minister for Women Ministry, Najib Razak to comment on the remark.
“He once held the position of Minister of Women Ministery because he was allegedly determined to empower women. So I wonder, how can he remain silent at this particular moment?”
Meanwhile Political Secretary to Lim Kit Siang, Dyana Sofya pointed at Hafarizam’s remark as a demonstration of UMNO’s failure in promoting women in politics. The former Teluk Intan candidate added that her own candidacy at the by-elections was belittled by the UMNO Wanita Chief Sharizat Abdul Jalil.
“Only a person with a caveman mentality can deny women the opportunity and right to hold a leadership position in government simply because she may not be able to perform certain ceremonial acts during “that time of the month,” even though she is perfectly capable of performing her governing and administrative obligations,” said Dyana.
Three term Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel and Argentinian President Christina Fernandez de Kirshner are obvious examples of succesful women leaders, she added.
“In the Muslim world, we had Benazir Bhutto who was the first Muslim woman to head a democratic government as Prime Minister of Pakistan in 1988. Her achievement was followed by Begum Khaleda Zia, Prime Minister of Bangladesh from 1991-1996 and again from 2001-2006,” stated Dyana, who indicated that if UMNO leaders with the same “mental capacity” as Hafarizam were in power in the Muslim states, the aforementioned leaders would not have been able to rise to their eminent positions.
“Sadly in Malaysia, and in the year 2014, we still have leaders who think having menses is a handicap that disqualifies women from being a head of government,” expressed Dyana, insisting that Malaysians need to be educated to realize the potential of remarkable women in the nation, in the light of increasing women leadership globally.
According to Dyana, the government needs to maximise the potential of Malaysian women and not belittle others while revealing shallow sexism.
“Power to my sisters,” she said. -TheRocket
