Empower is saddened Malaysia is still gender biased and prefers to use repressive laws like the Sedition Act.
PETALING JAYA: Non-governmental organisation Empower said in a Merdeka Day statement today that Malaysia is far from being “a truly functional democracy that respects the rights of its citizens.”
The NGO said this in relation to two issues dominating the political scene in Malaysia – that of gender bias and the use of the Sedition Act to silence opposing political views.
On the issue of gender bias, Empower said they were sorely “disappointed” at the mounting reluctance to accept a woman as the Menteri Besar of Selangor despite the law itself being “gender-neutral”.
“Presently, the only current Menteri Besar candidate who commands majority support from the Selangor State Assembly is Wan Azizah,” the statement read.
They also said “double standards” were widespread as women were “held accountable to higher standards” and “frequently face demands to prove themselves over and above the norm.”
“On the other hand, male counterparts with similar levels of experience go unquestioned and their qualifications are assumed,” the statement read.
The NGO was also disturbed by the increasing use of the Sedition Act to silence political criticism, saying the authorities were “overstepping their limits” despite a pledge by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to repeal the Sedition Act.
“SUARAM’s statistics show that the number of investigations and charges under the Sedition Act actually rose dramatically in 2013: 15 cases compared to 7 in 2012,” the NGO said.
They said this form of bad governance was leaving the people “powerless” to fight injustice while “stifling” their right to express themselves freely, engage with one another constructively or make informed choices.
Empower’s statement was endorsed by the All Women’s Action Society (AWAM), Perak Women for Women (PWW) and Sisters in Islam (SIS).
The NGO said this in relation to two issues dominating the political scene in Malaysia – that of gender bias and the use of the Sedition Act to silence opposing political views.
On the issue of gender bias, Empower said they were sorely “disappointed” at the mounting reluctance to accept a woman as the Menteri Besar of Selangor despite the law itself being “gender-neutral”.
“Presently, the only current Menteri Besar candidate who commands majority support from the Selangor State Assembly is Wan Azizah,” the statement read.
They also said “double standards” were widespread as women were “held accountable to higher standards” and “frequently face demands to prove themselves over and above the norm.”
“On the other hand, male counterparts with similar levels of experience go unquestioned and their qualifications are assumed,” the statement read.
The NGO was also disturbed by the increasing use of the Sedition Act to silence political criticism, saying the authorities were “overstepping their limits” despite a pledge by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to repeal the Sedition Act.
“SUARAM’s statistics show that the number of investigations and charges under the Sedition Act actually rose dramatically in 2013: 15 cases compared to 7 in 2012,” the NGO said.
They said this form of bad governance was leaving the people “powerless” to fight injustice while “stifling” their right to express themselves freely, engage with one another constructively or make informed choices.
Empower’s statement was endorsed by the All Women’s Action Society (AWAM), Perak Women for Women (PWW) and Sisters in Islam (SIS).
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