Sarawak Tourism and Housing Minister Abang Johari Openg must apologise to the two women Sarawak DAP assemblypersons against whom he made derogatory, sexist remarks during the budget sitting last month, says the state’s DAP Socialist Youth (Dapsy).

During the winding-up debate on his ministry, Abang Johari (right) made the sexist remarks against Pending assemblyperson Violet Yong and Batu Kawah assemblyperson Christina Chew.

Abang Johari told Yong that if she was not married, he had three more quotas for wives left, after Yong and Chew sought clarifications from him on the plight of vendors at the Kubah Ria market in Satok.

“This is blatant harassment, which is most unbecoming of a Sarawak statesman like him,” Sarawak Dapsy deputy chief Alan Ling Sie Kiong said today. “And why is Abang Johari keeping mum for so long?

“If he thinks his remarks are justifiable in the eyes of the women and the general public, then he should be courageous enough to defend his act, for silence won’t clear his name.”

'It is sexual harassment'

Earlier, Sarawak DAP chief and Kota Sentosa assemblyperson Chong Chieng Jen had also said that Abang Johari's remarks against Yong and Chew went beyond sexism and had crossed the line of "sexual harassment".

Chong also demanded that Abang Johari apologises to the two women state assembly representatives, but the minister has remained silent on this.

Ling, who is state DAP secretary and Piasau assemblyperson, said Abang Johari would bring shame to and ruin the name of the youth movement Saberkas and set a bad example to its 130,000 members in the state if he failed to apologise.

He said the minister has now been widely perceived as gender insensitive and likened to Umno politicians, who show little respect to women.

Ling went on to question why Abang Johari was still heading the youth movement, despite being more than 60 years old.

He said Saberkas, established in 1972, is the oldest and largest youth movement in the state and it should be led by youth, not by somebody so old.

“Abang Johari must explain why he is still holding the top post, and why many of its top office bearers are way above the age definition for youth, since the Saberkas constitution says membership is open to people aged from 16 to 45.

“How to be young and dynamic movement when people like Abang Johari lead the movement?” Ling added.

Abang Johari has also been accused of trying to bring Umno into to Sarawak in order to strengthen his political position in the state.

The accusation was made recently by Chong, but Abang Johari has never responded to ithis as well, despite being challenged by the state DAP chief to deny it.