When I looked at the papers on May 11, I felt ashamed being a Malaysian after Batu Gajah MP Fong Po Kuan was embarrassed by fellow MPs in Parliament.

What was more embarrassing was that the House Speaker decided not to punish the MPs concerned as the motion was not filed on time. How shameful and spineless of him!

The statement was derogatory, and this was not the first time the Kinabatangan MP Bung Mokhtar Radin and Jasin MP Mohd Said Yusof made sexist remarks against women MPs. This has happened many times and they always get away with it. The sad thing is even the women MPs in Barisan Nasional do not open their mouth to oppose these.

This is the situation of women in the country. The prime minister and of course the mnister in charge of women's affairs Shahrizat Abdul Jalil claim that the situation of women have changed in this country and now women have equal rights and so on. They also say that the BN government continues to uphold the rights of women in the country.

But then crime against women is increasing. Women are still being teased, heckled at and described and used as sex objects.

Why? Because if the law makers and the leaders also do not treat their female colleagues with respect and dignity, what do you expect the normal man outside to behave?

The women MPs of Barisan Nasional should be ashamed of themselves for being part of a sexist government and not being able to fight for their own rights. How can they then be able to defend the rights of women voters in Malaysia?

If this had happened in other countries, even in more poorer countries like India, or developed countries like Britain, the MP or the minister would have been forced to resign or apologise publicly by now.

But only in Malaysia. Here, MPs get away with all kinds of sexist remarks.

Today is a sad day for Malaysian women. But then we should not allow this to go on. Women are now in majority in every institution, in every sector in the country. We are a major working force and economic power in the country. We are everywhere.

It is time to show that we do not tolerate such sexist remarks. It is time to show our power.

Women groups in Malaysia, organize a protest against these MPs, and you bet women with self dignity and respect would be there to show their protest and uphold the rights of women. Women of Malaysia show your power in the ballot box by rejecting the BN government which always has been and will continue to be sexist.