Sexism is no pastime

It is said that the media in the United States has gone agog with gender issues and all because of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's win in New Hampshire. But in Malaysia, sadly, the presence of women ministers in the Cabinet has far from helped bring gender issues to the fore.

Malaysian Members of Parliament (MPs) have openly during Parliament debates condemned women, making a mockery of them in any which way they could imagine.

Remarks after remarks were made ridiculing women, further attesting to the reality of the deeply entrenched sexism in the Malaysian politics.

To say that the country is sympathetic about women's affairs would no less be a lie. Little has been done to alleviate misogyny that has taken a toll on society, especially on women and children.

The refusal by the Malaysian government to provide the necessary protection under the law to women is the greatest indicator of the bigotry at work, of not wanting to respect the rights of women. Time and again women's groups have pleaded with the government to look into issues affecting women and take the much needed step to safeguard the rights of women. Still, the policy makers do not believe that sincerely looking into women's issues is worthy of their bureaucratic time.

Creating a ministry for women's welfare is certainly a needed endeavour but the ministry, to be precise the minister has to be a hard-hitting politician-cum-activist who understands the plight of women, of the need to weed out misogyny from its root.

Misogyny is conspicuous through violence against women, from the inhumane bashings to rape and murder. Reports of a woman or a girl child raped is reported in the newspapers every day. But while the newspapers thrive on sensationalising such stories, like it happened in the case of Noritta Shamsuddin, the young girl who died indulging in kinky sex, the editors have never taken it upon themselves to raise the issue of misogyny, which continues to fester like a virus.

Play the game of politics

Unfortunately, in Malaysia, politicians are doing what they know best, which is to play the game of politics well.

In this regard, the Minister of the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry has yet to step out and prove herself to be otherwise. Handling a Ministry whose portfolio primarily is about women does not just require a politician at its helm. It needs the force of a fighter, one who is willing to shut any sexist mouth up when it opens, with no fear or favour. In this matter, its previous minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil failed to do that.

It is regretful that when the situation presented itself, Shahrizat chose to display her political dexterity and take the diplomatic route instead of chastising fellow MPs who openly and shamelessly deride women.

Derogatory remarks have been made about women time after time and chauvinist MPs

are merely given a slap on the wrist. Neither does the Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat take a stand or reflect his sensitivity in admonishing such MPs when they spew nothing short of insults at women.

If leadership by example has failed the people of Malaysia, there is little to expect from the women Ministers, to come to the front as defenders of women's rights. Forget about wondering how sensitive the Prime Minister is when he comes to know of how gender insensitive his subordinates are.

Therefore, the truth and nothing but the truth has come to be, that sexism and Malaysian politics travel hand in hand. Is there anyone out there who dares tackle sexism in Malaysian politics?

Lip service order of the day

Looking at how foul mouth the MPs have become when speaking of issues affecting women, the fear comes to rise that in the end the fate of women in the country will remain at the mercy of such ruthless so-called leaders who have absolutely no respect for women, at any level.

Another worry is also that when policy makers consist of more males than females, the fate of women again is in the dark, for it might not be a hard guess to make that issues of sexism will never see the light of the day.

There has been no commitment from the government on the issue of sexual harassment. Women continue to suffer this form of abuse and still the country sees no need to put in place a Sexual Harassment Act.

It has been a decade over since the existence of the Domestic Violence Act. The trouble it took the then woman minister Napsiah Omar to get the Act realised was no less a nightmare. And finally when the Act was gazetted, it was not without loopholes.

The issue of marital rape, which logically should be included in the Domestic Violence Act, is no where raised. To the Muslim clerics, it is no less blasphemy for women to even consider the idea that their husbands can turn rapists. The clerics never tire of saying that it is the woman's "duty" to provide sex to her husband, irrespective of whether she wants to or not.

To cry rape is to sin against the husband, so the clerics keep brainwashing Muslim women.

So, because of the vehement objections from Muslim clerics, the issue of marital rape has somehow got caught somehwere in the doldrums.

Then there are other issues affecting women when a marriage breaks down. Because of Malaysia's multi racial package, two different sets of legislation have come to be. The non-Muslims seek redress from the civil law while the Muslims have to knock on the doors of the Syariah Court for help. And even then the Syariah law is not a standardised one. The different states in the country have their say in how they want to apply the Syariah law in their home turf.

All these not only complicates matters but makes it very difficult for women to receive justice at the hands of the law.

The women's groups have time and again cried that a uniformed Syariah law be put in place but it looks like the government is again not listening.

The death of sexism?

Will the day come when sexism will one day vanish from the scene of Malaysian politics? One can only pray hard that this happens and the MPs become respectful of women.

For sexism to be eliminated, the Press too has to play its role. And sadly, the Malaysian media has been prostituted at the hands of the "powers that be".

There is no single day where women are not exploited be it through advertisements or through the news carried by the newspapers, be it in the form of the headlines or the pictured used.

This brings to mind a debate a friend had about sex workers. She wondered whether it was wrong for women to prostitute themselves for a living. If prostitution is regarded as reprehensible, then why is the same not said of the many advertisements where women are used to "sell" products, from cars to weight loss products to airline services? Are men not capable of selling automobiles and do they not have weight issues?

Let us stop being hypocritical and pretend to get by life hiding inside the "holier than thou" cloak. Sexism is destructive and it infiltrates almost every aspect of our lives.

God forbid if the truth is that we have become immune to the violent and inhumane treatment of women that it leaves no impact on us. To laugh at a remark made by an MP that "women leak every month" or a statement that "maintaining toilets is akin to taking care of wives" which was made by veteran politician and former minister S Samy Vellu should put everyone to shame.

Such sexual harassment should never be allowed and the perpetrator be taken to task, irrespective of their social status.

For crying out loud, let us get honest and admit that it is really up to the women to get their act together and work at uprooting sexism from Malaysian politics. The MPs have to be proven wrong if they think turning to sexism for humour, a cheap one that, can be their pastime.

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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.