WHILE politicians can be made to go through gender sensitisation training, prevailing sexist mindsets remain a source of concern, said women’s rights activists.

They were responding to Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail’s suggestion that elected representatives go through gender-sensitisation training so that they better understand the causes and consequences of violence against women.

Dr Wan Azizah was commenting on PKR senator Mohd Imran Abd Hamid’s proposal to enact a law protecting men from being seduced into raping women.

However, he has since retracted the statement and apologised after earning scorn from several quarters including party leaders. 

Activists say such remarks go to show that politicians need to be educated on gender issues. Besides that, it is also a reflection of a patriarchal culture.

Founder of The G-Blog Emellia Shariff said it is worrying that this is not the first time Imran had made such sexist remarks.

“While we can make politicians go through sensitisation training, it is still very worrying that a person with such sexist mindset can be appointed a senator, especially when this is not the first time he has made such a remark,” she said.

“Another issue which we need to look at is how do we have such a senator in our Parliament? Imran was the MP for Lumut, but he lost in the 2018 general election. He was then appointed a senator. 

“After making this statement, it is only right for Malaysians to question his credentials and qualifications that landed him in our Dewan Negara.”

She said politicians making remarks that reduced women to sexual objects time and again, is a reflection of a deep rooted patriarchal culture.

This, she said this can be attributed to society’s failure to raise men to be respectful and gender-sensitive.

“This shouldn’t just come through formal education, but it should be embedded in everything that forms as part of our society. 

“Like the television series and movies we show on screens. Most, if not all of them, are generally sexist and rarely portray women as strong, independent and successful.

“This, amongst other things, contributes to a mentality which stereotypes women as subservient, and places them as a commodity for the pleasure of men.”

She said Imran’s statement had elements of victim blaming and encouraging rape culture, and cannot be dismissed as a difference in opinion.

“He shifted the burden from ‘men should not rape’ to ‘women should not get raped’. This is a testament to his lack of understanding on the nature of sex crimes, which is rarely about carnal desire; but about power, control, and dominance.”

Founder of the Speak Up movement and legal advocate, Animah Kosai said such insensitive remarks being made in the Senate is an indication that parliamentarians need to be educated on gender issues and rape culture.

She also noted that the power imbalance in parliament is apparent with men outnumbering women parliamentarians.

“Rape, incest and sexual harassment are about power, not sex.

“Without true political equality, we will see these kind of statements. 

“PKR should remove a senator who cannot respect half of the population. He does not deserve to be there.”

She said the senator’s proposal is a reflection of a culture that has long cast blame on women for male conduct.

“Thankfully, many young women, especially on Twitter, see right though this and are calling out rape culture and sexist remarks. 

“I’m relieved to see some men are, too. These are men who are rightly insulted by the senator’s proposal. Men have to be held accountable for their actions,” she told The Malaysian Insight.

Centre For A Better Tomorrow (Cenbet’s) vice-president Ng Yeen Seen said this was not the first time Imran had made sexist remarks.

She said Imran had “made uncalled for remarks about attire of athletes when he was a member of the lower house in 2015, and yet he was appointed a senator”.

“We cannot accept that the senator places the blame for rape, molestation, incest, porn and otherwise on the victim. 

“In fact it is the perpetrator who must take responsibility for their own actions. Such preposterous stance taken by a legislator is toxic and obnoxious to the core.”

In a brief reply as to why there was no censure by the deputy president of the Dewan Negara who was conducting the session on Wednesday and fellow senators, President of the Senate Vigneswaran Sanasee said he was not presiding over the session and the statement has since been retracted. – August 1, 2019.