PMTG PAUH The term “housewife”, purportedly uttered by Penang MCA chief Chew Mei Fun to describe PKR candidate Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, seems to have created a storm between MCA and Pakatan Rakyat leaders in Permatang Pauh.

Pakatan leaders called on Chew, a senator, to apologise to all housewives for purportedly criticising them by questioning Wan Azizah’s ability to be an MP when her priorities often are her family, especially her jailed husband and PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim.

However, Chew did not describe Wan Azizah as a “housewife”, although she said the “people were tired” of the PKR president who often seem to represent her family’s interest first and not that of her constituents.

Wan Azizah is contesting against three others - Umno’s Suhaimi Sabudin, Parti Rakyat Malaysia’s (PRM) Azman Shah Othman and independent candidate Salleh Isahak in a four-cornered fight for the parliamentary seat that will be decided on May 7.

The word “housewife” appeared in a Malaysiakini story published yesterday , headlined ‘MCA: People are tired of Wan Azizah’s housewife antics’.

This prompted a strong reaction from Pakatan leaders, although the content of the story did not quote Chew as saying or condemning Wan Azizah as a “housewife”.

The term housewife in the headline was used to indicate the perception often levelled at Wan Azizah for always being in the shadow of her well-known husband, Anwar, who is now serving a five-year jail sentence for sodomy in the Sungai Buloh Prison.

Wan Azizah - who currently the Kajang assemblyperson - was thrust into the battle to keep Anwar’s parliamentary seat with PKR after her family failed to obtain a pardon from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to seek her husband’s early release from prison.

She is forced, for the fourth time after 1999, 2004 and 2008, to hold on to Permatang Pauh on behalf of Anwar.

The first two times she contested, Anwar was serving a six-year jail term, from 2001 to 2006, for abuse of power related to a sodomy charge.

Wan Azizah stays cool

Wan Azizah won the three elections, albeit with a small majority of 590 votes in 2004, and was the only PKR MP in Parliament during that term.

She vacated her seat in July 2008, before completing her term, to allow Anwar to return to active politics.

Although her party leaders are fuming on her behalf over the term “housewife”, Wan Azizah was rather cool about it when met last night.

At an event in Kubang Semang, she said her mother was a housewife and she (Wan Azizah) went on to do well in life because of her mother.

"Housewives try and keep the country together. The implementation of the goods and services tax (GST) is a burden to housewives, who are the ones who have to purchase the household necessities,” she told a small crowd gathered at the Kubang Semang food court.

After the brief event, she helped to scoop dishes onto the plates of several people who attended the buffet dinner.

Unlike an eight-course dinner held at the same venue on Sunday night by MCA, where Chew was present with 350 others, this dinner to introduce Azizah to the crowd was modest.

Accompanying her at the event were DAP state executive councillors  and assemblypersons Phee Boon Poh (Sungai Puyu), Chong Eng (Padang Lalang), who is also Penang DAP Wanita chief and PKR’s Bakar Arang assemblyperson Simon Ooi.

Bersih northern region coordinator Toh Kin Woon was also present to oversee a signature campaign calling for Anwar - described as a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International - to be freed from prison.