WHERE exactly are we heading to when a young politician like Sasha Lyna Abdul Latif is stirring a storm in the teacup?
The Bersatu’s legal and constitution bureau’s deputy chair who parroted MUDA’s deputy president Amira Aisya Abd Aziz is trying very hard to be seen championing the women’s cause by making a mountain out of a molehill.
It is hardly any “sexist” remark when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (PMX) teasingly asked the Form Six student for her telephone number. Anwar then pacified her by saying, “Azizah (wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail) is somewhere in the audience” to everyone’s laughter.
This was hardly a sign of disrespect to the women in the country. In fact, both Amira Aisya and Sasha Lyna should focus on how to help revive the country’s economy instead of playing the politics of distraction from the two very serious questions asked.
Notably, PMX was impressed with the Sixth Former – identified only as Adriana – who wanted to know if Malaysia was capable of becoming a first world nation in the future and what steps should be taken by the government and the younger generation to turn Malaysia into a developed nation.
If the young people emulate the likes of Amira and Sasha Lyna, it is very obvious that the country’s future would just go from bad to worse. With the numerous slanders that we are seeing, this country will go to the dogs if the authorities allow these slanderers to continue with their modus operandi.
Every other day, many of us are inundated with tonnes of fake news, words of slander and racial and religious polemics on the social media against the unity government to the point that one cannot help but to say “enough is enough!”
The Tambun MP is already turning 76 come August 10 and he is already the father of five adult daughters and a son. So, technically, Adriana can be his goddaughter or in some more mature families, a granddaughter.
Both Sasha Lyna and Amira Aisya should learn what it means by a “tease” and a “sexist” joke. While sexist jokes are sex-related jokes – similar to the “rape jokes” we read so much about last year – Anwar was merely showing his fondness to the student who asked intelligent questions.
Instead of being oversensitive, Amira Aisya, for example, should take things more lightly and give room for some fun. The energy should have been better spent on how to help state seats under her party unless, of course, she was merely expressing her disappointment over MUDA’s expectation to make a big debut in Malaysian politics.
Meanwhile, Sasha Lyna should not make refrain from getting dragged down by distraction politics. Her time should be dedicated towards contributing ideas on how Malaysia can exit from the Doeramon syndrome – referring to the joke by a former women and family development minister Datuk Seri Rina Harun during the COVID-19 pandemic – into a more serious economy to be reckoned with in ASEAN.
Sometimes people who read Sasha Lyna’s comments about Anwar being disrespectful of women – and that he should apologise – will wonder if she even thought through her strategy because it could very well bounce back on her.
Truth of the matter is that Anwar was speaking to an audience of young people and if he had been too serious with his usual ceramah, he would frighten them off. It is perfectly alright for any man, or woman, just to crack a joke or two so that everyone can begin to connect with the speaker.
Anwar was in no way being disrespectful of women, and in particular, to Adriana. He may apologise just to satisfy both women but the bottom line is that he may just want the unity government and the people to focus on reviving the country’s economy again.
Doubtlessly, it is time for every Malaysian to rev up the country’s economy focus on productivity, quality of service and building the country’s competitive edge over other ASEAN countries. – June 26, 2023.
