Woman power has always been underestimated by men, but women have never failed to rise to the occasion as shown by history. Women have gone to space and have led nations.

Indira Gandhi, Margaret Thatcher, Benazir Bhutto, Wilma Mankiller, Dr Mae Jemison and Rosa Parks were a force to be reckoned with in their time.

Jemison became the first woman of colour to go into space, Bhutto in 1988 became prime minister of Pakistan, making her the first woman to head the government of an Islamic state.

However, such achievements make little difference to some including Pahang Menteri Besar Adnan Yaakob. The chauvinist Adnan seems to have taken great pride in stating that Malaysia is not ready for a woman prime minister ( New Straits Times , July 25).

"That is the reality. Women should fight for their rights, but in doing so they should not at least for now, ask for things which do not make sense, such as wanting to be prime minister," was his so-called rationale.

While quick to add that he supported gender equality, he said women's organisations have to "be realistic" and not ask for unreasonable things. Does Adnan have any idea when he thinks a woman can assume leadership of Malaysia? Or was his statement merely a blanket assumption based on male bias?

His remarks were made in his speech at a seminar on the roles of women, families and civil society in strengthening integrity, which was attended by over 1,000 women. The seminar was organised by the National Council of Women's Organisations (NCWO) and Integrity Institute of Malaysia.

It does appear that instead of lauding women for their roles, Adnan's speech only served to humiliate them. One wonders what NCWO has to say on the put-down or the fact that this politician has reflected clearly that women will always face discrimination based on their gender. So much for amending the constitution to prohibit such discrimination.

Through his insensitive and defamatory remarks, Adnan has proved one thing very clearly - that the country is doomed should someone like him be appointed prime minister. Such insults against women could only come from the minds of insecure men who fear the migration of women from kitchen to cabinet.

It would be helpful if Adnan explains what is so "unrealistic" about appointing a woman to the country's top post. Were Indira and Benazir foolish to think they could lead India and Pakistan respectively, and meet the challenges involved?

Through his statement that women should fight for their rights, Adnan has unwittingly painted himself into a corner. His not-so-clever remark could backfire on him because it is every individual's right to determine their career path, including wanting to be prime minister.

Read history

Instead of babbling, it would do Adnan good to brush up on history. There have been female rulers since the beginning of time. Egyptian queens are believed to have governed from around 3000 BCE (Before the Common Era), with the first being Ku-baba, who ruled the Mesopotamian City-State of Ur round 2500 BCE.

It was not until after World War I that the first few women went on to become members of government. Nina Bang, Danish education minister (1924-26), became the world's first full female cabinet minister. Still, it was not until the end of the 20th century that female ministers stopped being a rarity.

In 1960, Sirivamo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka became the world's first elected female prime minister; and in 1974 Isabel Pern of Argentina became the first woman president - one woman had been acting head of government and two women acting heads of state before that.

The Vatican has one female assistant vice-minister. In 1999, Sweden became the first country to have more female ministers than male, with 11 women and 9 men.

At present, the only two countries which have never had a female member of government in at least a sub-ministerial position are Monaco and Saudi Arabia.

One suggestion for Adnan - watch the hit television series Commander in Chief starring Academy Award winner Geena Davis. She plays Mackenzie Allen, an independent vice-president of the US who takes over the country when the president dies. She shoulders her role as wife and mother while tackling affairs of state and fending off political opponents.

Davis' portrayal of the president was closely scrutinised in ways that would not have applied to any other role: was she too glamorous, too tall, too strong, too weak? What does 'presidential' mean when applied to a woman?

"People want you to satisfy every possible dream or expectation they would have for a woman president," Davis once said in an interview.

"We still live at a time when a female president is controversial, even though it seems so bizarre that we've made it to the 21st century excluding half of the potential talent pool."

Perfect sense

Similarly, the majority of Malaysian men remain ignorant about gender equality. Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi must make it a priority to educate government servants on gender issues and gender-sensitise them for their own sake.

Adnan's statement makes a mockery of the efforts of Malaysian women, who have received scant respect for their many achievements. Can one assume that he has no faith at all in the capability of female colleagues in the government, both at state and federal levels?

The likes of Adnan are unfortunately staunch believers of the myth that a country can only be led by a man. Such outdated beliefs will only push Malaysia down in the global index of gender equality awareness.

Despite the accomplishments of women around the world and at home, Adnan believes that it is "unrealistic" or "does not make sense" for a woman to aspire to become prime minister.

The dream makes perfect sense. What does not make sense is the objection to that thought.

JJ RAY started her career with a mainstream publication. A non-conformist, she soon saw the barriers that went up whenever, through her writing, she tried to make the world a home for one and all.