Kelantan Mentri Besar Nik Aziz Nik Mat's clarification that social problems were partly caused by some women who exposed their bodies (aurat) to seduce men, was still unacceptable, an opposition leader said today.

DAP Wanita vice-chairperson Betty Chew reiterated her call that Nik Aziz should withdraw his statement and reaffirm that women are victims and not to be blamed in sexual crimes ([#1]Ally wants PAS leader to withdraw derogatory words[/#], Oct 9).

Nik Aziz, the PAS spiritual leader who is popularly called Tok Guru, caused a ruckus last week when he blamed women as the main cause of social problems.

He clarified that the statement was only directed at women "who provoke men sexually" ([#2]PAS leader's statement not 'anti-women'[/2], Oct 10).

However, Chew said today that Nik Aziz's statement was still derogatory and showed his anti-women bias.

"We may not agree with the way some women dress but that does not mean that they can be abused by men," Chew said when contacted this morning.

Her statement was echoed by DAP MP for Seputeh Teresa Kok who said that many women victims of sexual harassment and rape cases included the conservatively-dressed.

"Victims of sexual crimes must not be made victims of the failure of society, nor should they be made scapegoats for the inability of the authorities to effectively control sex crimes," Kok said.

She added that modesty is a subjective matter and open to interpretation.

"The discretion has to be left to the individual. What's deemed the norm in Klang Valley may not necessarily be so in a more conservative environment," Kok added.

Lecture men instead

Instead, she urged Nik Aziz to lecture men on the importance of respect to the dignity and rights of women, to regard women as their equal partners at home and in the workplace, and to exercise self-control when they are in the presence of women who may not be conservatively-dressed.

"God created men and women differently and opposites are made to attract. It is important for religious teachers to promote mutual respect between genders and gender equality in their teachings, rather than always putting the blame on the dressing and behaviour of women for the rise of social problems in society," Kok stressed.

Meanwhile, PAS Wanita when contacted today were unprepared to comment on the issue. Its information chief Dr Maria Mahmud told malaysiakini that the committee is trying to obtain a copy of Nik Aziz's speech before coming up with a statement.

"We are trying to get a recording of the speech to really understand what was said in the lecture. Right now, we do not intend to comment on the issue based on secondary information," she said