PAS biased against women, says DAP man

S Ramakrishnan wonders why the party is blocking Wan Azizah from becoming the first woman MB?

Zefry Dahalan, Free Malaysia Today

DAP’s S Ramakrishnan had some strong words for PAS today, saying it was biased against women.

The Johor DAP deputy chairman said PAS’s reluctance to support Wan Azizah as Menteri Besar (MB) in Selangor “puts on record the unwritten repressive gender bias against women in our own backyard.”

He said PAS practised gender inequality because despite the PKR nominee’s having the support of 30 assembly members versus 26 from Umno and PAS, the Islamist party was still reluctant to support her.

Ramakrishnan also said the unexpected turnaround from PAS came after the Pakatan Rakyat coalition had verbally endorsed Wan Azizah’s candidacy for the MB’s post.

He said was puzzling that while PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang had admitted that the Sultan did not rule out a woman MB candidate, the party was “bending over backwards” to block Wan Azizah Ismail from becoming the first ever woman Menteri Besar.

He also said PAS’s actions echoed that of Umno legal advisor Mohd Hafarizam Harun who remarked that menstruating women could not be considered for the MB post.

He recalled that Dyana Sofya was also belittled when she contested under the DAP ticket in Teluk Intan.

Ramakrishnan, who is a former senator, said Umno and PAS leaders had “insulated themselves with a narrow, outdated religious world view.”