COMMENT | The question is simple. Are women and men equal or not? Of course, just asking this question anecdotally to people around me, the answer is definitely going to be, “Yes! Of course, men and women are equal!”. But, ideally, I want to ask this question scientifically and methodically to see what a majority of Malaysians actually think.

Personally, I think men and women are equal. Women can do anything men can and vice versa (although the “vice versa” could be argued!). Okay, let’s not be stupid and start arguing about the fact that men are physically stronger and blah blah blah. Great! Men are brawnier. That’s not the point here.

Women can be everything that men can be. They can be corporate leaders, national leaders, politicians, activists, lawyers, accountants, doctors, engineers, seamstresses and, like it or not, athletes too (even if men are physically stronger!). And here’s another thing that I personally believe too. Women who are Malaysians can be full Malaysians too, just like men who are Malaysians.

All the points to you if you guessed that I am pointing in the direction of how the decision of the Court of Appeal has been made that children born overseas to Malaysian women with foreign spouses do not automatically qualify to be Malaysian citizens.