Minister defends lawmakers' sexist remark

The Straits Times, May 12, 2007


KUALA LUMPUR - A MALAYSIAN minister yesterday defended two Barisan Nasional lawmakers after they made an apparently sexist remark on Wednesday about a female opposition lawmaker's menstrual cycle.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Aziz said such a remark was 'part and parcel of parliamentary debate', and women should not be treated with more sensitivity than men.

During a parliamentary debate on Wednesday, Datuk Mohammad Said Yusuf and Datuk Bung Moktar Radin apparently used unparliamentary language against the Democratic Action Party's (DAP) Ms Fong Poh Kuan after DAP members criticised roof leaks in the Parliament House here.

Datuk Mohammad Said and Datuk Bung Moktar were reported to have said in quick succession: 'Where is the leak? (Ms Fong) also leaks once a month.'

Their remarks were reported in Utusan Malaysia and two Chinese dailies on Thursday, and DAP demanded that the duo be disciplined.

But on Thursday, Parliament Speaker Ramli Ngah Talib rejected DAP's motion to that end. The New Straits Times reported yesterday that the Speaker said he had rejected the motion because it was tabled the day after the remark was made, instead of right after the incident.

Datuk Seri Nazri said: 'This is a debate. People play with words.

'As long as there is no ill intention, we should allow for it. Otherwise Parliament will be very boring.'

But parliamentary opposition leader and DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang said: 'This is not just a sensitive issue; it's gender offensive.

'They have dishonoured all women.'

ASSOCIATED PRESS