Kak Wan (pic) seen as the front-runner in the upcoming Permatang Pauh elections, a seat left vacant by de-facto opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.
UMNO-BN should stop personal attacks against Permatang Pauh’s PKR candidate, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, the DAP today said.
In a statement, Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim slammed the ruling regime for what he called a “chauvinistic and misogynistic” personal attack against Wan Azizah, who is also president of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).
He said that the personal attacks, amongst which Wan Azizah was referred to as a “recycled candidate” exposes UMNO-BN’s misogynist view about women.
“Among others, she was called a recycled candidate, a grandmother who should focus on taking care of her grandchildren instead of running for office, and latest, MCA vice president and Deputy Minister Chew Mei Fun accused Wan Azizah of using “housewife antics”,” said Sim.
On April 26, UMNO mouthpiece Utusan Malaysia (in its editorial voice Awang Selamat) had taken a dig at Dr Wan, asking voters to be mindful of the fact that Dr Wan was a recycled candidate – who only intends to preserve political power for her family, including her jailed husband Anwar Ibrahim.
Federal Territory Umno Youth chief Mohd Razlan Muhammad Rafii had also echoed the same sentiments, calling Dr Wan a recycled candidate who has failed the people in Kajang under her tenure in the constituency as State Assemblywoman. The UMNO leader had shot to fame last year with a fiery protest at the DAP headquarters last year threatening to torch the building over an “UMNO celaka” (UMNO be damned) remark made by a DAP leader in Penang.
Referring to Prime Minister Najib Razak, who had contested in the same Pekan seat since 1976, Sim criticised the double standards of the ruling regime singling out Wan Azizah as a “recycled candidate”
“Najib contested 10 times in the same seat since 1976, is he “recycled candidate” too?” asking if the attacks against Wan Azizah was due to her gender.
On the same note, Sim said that de-facto opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim had contested in the Permatang Pauh seat since 1982, but was never labeled as a recycled candidate. Anwar had vacated the seat by default, after being jailed for sodomy.
Apart from that, Sim asked if there was something wrong about being a grandparent and a politicians
He said comments in the same spirit (aimed at Wan Azizah being a politician), were not uttered against BN leaders despite also being grandparents.
“I am also surprised that now being a parent or a grandparent is a negative point for politicians seeking public office. How many parents and grandparents are there among our Members of Parliament and State Assemblymen?”
“Should they resign en bloc including those from Barisan Nasional?” he asked.
He also said that UMNO had degenerated from a progressive party that it was during pre-independence.
According to Sim, UMNO’s progressiveness was apparent 63 years ago, with its fielding of one of its female candidates in the George Town Municipal Election in 1951 – the first elections in the country.
Che Wanchik Binti Abidin from UMNO had put her name down as “housewife”, he said.
“There was no embarrassment in being a housewife at that time even in UMNO. How low UMNO has fallen today,” Sim said.
The Permatang Pauh seat will see a four corner tussle between Dr Wan, Suhaimi Sabudin (BN), Azman Shah Othman (Parti Rakyat Malaysia), and independent Salleh Isahak. Constituents will cast their votes come 7 May 2015.
-The Rocket
