MCA’s Ampang hopeful Ivone Low Yi Wen has slammed candidates from Perikatan Nasional (PN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) for making statements that contravene their respective 15th General Election (GE15) manifestos and positions on women empowerment.
In particular, the Beliawanis MCA chief singled out Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor and DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook for recently reported remarks they made which she branded as “condescending” and “misogynistic”.
In a statement, Low said Sanusi’s recent “spews” at a ceramah – in which the PAS Kedah leader questioned the capability of women being elected representatives as they would take “more than two hours just to get ready” – was in “direct conflict” with PN’s promise to “optimise” the potential of women.
According to her, Sanusi was also lumping all women as “incompetent” and “shallow-minded” through his description of their tresses in the wee hours of the morning.
In a viral video, Sanusi purportedly stated: “In Sik, the candidates (from Barisan Nasional or BN and PH) are women. It is not that I’m demeaning women. (But) in Sik, a rural area with many people in need, they would seek help from the wakil rakyat at all kinds of times.
“Will they be able to do so (if the elected representative is a woman)?” he asked. “I don’t think so. At 3am (if they’re woken up by constituents seeking their help), we can imagine their hair would be messy. How are they going to help victims of floods, for instance?”
Low said the female members within PAS and other PN parties must voice disagreement and rebuke Sanusi – “lest they self-defeat themselves, have no intention of upholding their PN manifesto and are comfortable with regressing to the domestic sphere and subjecting themselves and other women to any form of abuse that may ensue.”
“Any mother of newborns has to be awake at any time to address the needs of her infant,” she noted. “Does it even matter how one’s tresses may look like if one has to attend to an emergency?
“There may not even be time to get all dressed up – more crucial is for the matter, grievance or emergency to be addressed and resolved amicably.”
“Treat women as equals”
As society matures and in this age where calls for and the need to practise gender equality grow more acute, Low said politicians, be they veterans or newbies, must recognise and treat women as equals.
“Stereotypes of women as indecisive and lesser able than men belong and must remain in the bygone era,” she said. “In fact, such stereotypes should never have even been conceived.”
“Voters have more sophisticated expectations from political parties and coalitions, who in turn, have a duty to quell misogyny to empower society to develop better,” she added. “Politicians and policymakers can undertake an influential role in this endeavour.”
As for Loke, Low took offence with the Seremban incumbent MP accusing MCA’s male members of not having the “bravery” to take him on, and hence, sending a female candidate to contest against him in the federal seat.
“For a party from a coalition which claims to be liberal, progressive and one which advocates for women’s rights, DAP’s misogyny and hypocrisy have revealed themselves and can no longer be hidden,” she said.
She added: “While DAP boasts that PH appointed the first female deputy prime minister, the time is now apt for DAP and even PKR to step up to the plate: will DAP and the PH coalition as a whole be bold enough to chastise their comrade?”
“What message are these public figures, who hope to be wakil rakyats, sending to the public?” she asked further.
Irrespective of political affiliation, Low said contenders for GE15 – and any Malaysian citizen for that matter – must initiate “positive change” for women and accept that women are of equal standing as men.
She also called on the Election Commission (EC) to consider establishing gender sensitisation guidelines for candidates to abide by and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to remove any “gender offensive” posts on social media. – Nov 13, 2022
