'Cows and women' remark is free speech, Zaid slams minister

Former law minister Zaid Ibrahim today told off his successor for trying to impose criminal law on PAS leaders who equated women in leadership roles to cows.

This came after Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said issued a warning on X yesterday, where she said anyone making such an analogy might have broken several provisions under the Penal Code.

In a statement, Zaid said the views expressed by PAS leaders, while unpalatable, are still protected by the Federal Constitution as freedom of speech and freedom of religion.

“Defending a belief about the roles of men and women, even if it is conservative, patriarchal, religious, or framed with crude analogies like that of a cow and bull, is not automatically against the law in Malaysia.

“What matters legally is how those beliefs are expressed and whether they lead to harmful consequences.

“The views expressed by PAS leaders are protected under the Federal Constitution’s freedom of speech and freedom of religion.

“This protection applies whether one holds conservative or liberal views. A belief, no matter how unpalatable to others, does not become unlawful simply because it offends modern sensibilities,” he said.

However, Zaid added, legal limits do exist where a belief can cross the line if it incites hatred, hostility, or violence against a particular group.

‘Focus on more important issues’

The lawyer also advised Azalina to focus on more pertinent issues in the country, saying that there are many “clear and continuing violations of the law” that still plague Malaysia’s justice system.

These include addressing prosecutorial misconduct, false or misleading statements made in Parliament, and deaths in police custody.

“If Azalina wishes to be taken seriously on matters of justice, she should start by enforcing the above; matters that are clearly already on the books, not using selective outrage to police speech that falls within constitutional bounds,” Zaid said.

Yesterday, Azalina claimed that those who still compare women leaders to animals might have broken several provisions under the Penal Code, namely Section 509 (word or gesture intended to insult the modesty of a person) and Section 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of the peace).

Other legal provisions the statement may have fallen afoul of include Sections 298A and 507B (causing harassment, distress, fear or alarm), and potentially Section 298A (uttering words with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person).

Of cows, bulls, and women leaders

It was reported that Maran PAS Youth information chief Salman Al Farisi recently posted a statement on social media emphasising the importance of male leadership in society, whilst providing an analogy based on his over-a-year experience in cattle farming.

According to him, based on his observations in managing livestock, female cattle often lead the herd - including determining grazing locations, rest times, and when to return home - whilst male cattle primarily protect the herd’s safety.

He argued that society should therefore avoid emulating cattle by elevating women to leadership positions, asserting that men ought to assume leadership roles in accordance with Quranic teachings.

PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man had since defended the remark, saying it was in tandem with analogies usually used in literary works and not meant to degrade women.

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