KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 12 — Accusing PAS leaders of misogyny, DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng today urged Malaysians to reject Perikatan Nasional (PN) at the polls.
The incumbent Bagan MP who is seeking re-election called out PAS leader Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor who is also Kedah mentri besar for his recent reported remarks on women candidates in Sik, one of the 15 parliamentary seats up for grabs in the November 19 general election.
“PAS Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor should be condemned by all Malaysians for his extremist and misogynistic attitude towards women.
“Not only does Muhammad Sanusi not respect women, he even insults and ridicules them as unfit for higher office or being elected as a Member of Parliament,” Lim said in a statement.
He was referring to Sanusi’s remarks as reported by national daily The New Straits Times yesterday.
“In Sik, the candidates (from 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)? 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? It would take them more than two hours just to get ready,” Sanusi was quoted saying.
Sik has become a three-way battle in this general election. The only male candidate is Ahmad Tarmizi Sulaiman from Perikatan Nasion (PN), of which PAS is a component, alongside Bersatu, Gerakan and two Sabah-based parties: STAR and SAPP.
The other two candidates are Maizatulakmam Othman from Barisan Nasional (BN) and Datuk Latifah Md Yatim from Pakatan Harapan (PH).
Lim said Sanusi’s reported remarks diminished the role of women in nation-building, and added that it was not a one-off affair but a continuation of the Islamist party’s “extremist” and archaic attitudes towards certain demographic groups in the country.
He recalled past racial remarks by the party’s president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang and another incendiary remark from a PAS youth leader Mohd Shahiful while stumping in Sik who claimed that voters who chose BNl or PH would be doomed to hell.
“Not just women, but men should reject such political dinosaurs like the PN, who divide the people and want to bring the country back to the primitive era.
“PAS and PN should be rejected in the coming general election for reaching a new low by using not only race and religion but also now throwing in misogyny to try to win the coming general elections,” Lim said.
