I refer to All Women's Action Society (Awam) programme manager Manohari Subramaniam's statement as reported in The Star on Sunday. She said: "All men are potential rapists but not all men rape. The only common denominator among men who rape is that they choose to use sex as a weapon to exert power and control over women."

This silly statement is akin to saying that "all drivers are potentially killers, but not all drivers kill. The only common denominator among those who kill is that they choose to be irresponsible while driving without regard for the safety of others".

Or better still: "All women are potentially marriage breakers, but not all women break up marriages by seducing men. The only common denominator among women who break up marriages is that they choose to use their sex appeal to entice married men to leave their wives and children for them."

What Manohari does not realise is that her statement - simplistic, incoherently sweeping and illogical as it may sound - merely perpetuates the view held by the public that 'feminists' or 'women's groups' are men-haters who blame all problems faced by women on men - simply because they are men.

Whilst I understand that within these groups of 'feminists', there are different strains of thoughts and not many may share her sentiments that "all men are potential rapists", such a statement coming from one of the leading women's groups does not bode well in advancing women rights (or if I may, human rights).

What is more unfortunate is that allies from both sexes who can be won over to champion these worthy causes are turned off by such rhetoric.