Pakatan roses prick women’s minister

Several Pakatan women MPs claim that Najib has zero knowledge about this issue and thus should give up the post.

UPDATED

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has come under attack again for holding on to the women, family and community development minister’s post despite having “zero knowledge” on the matter.

Several Pakatan Rakyat women MPs claimed that the prime minister was clueless about issues of gender equality and women’s struggles.

“This was exposed when Najib said Malaysia does not need a women’s rights movement,” DAP MP Chong Eng told a press conference at Parliament today.

Also present were PKR MPs Zuraida Kamaruddin and Fuziah Salleh, as well as PAS MP Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff.

On Oct 2, Najib said that Malaysia did not need a women’s rights movement as the government provided equal opportunities to all genders.

However, the premier’s statement drew flak from several women’s rights groups, with the Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) launching a Twitter campaign against Najib.

Chong Eng said that Pakatan had highlighted several issues on women’s rights but the minister had always passed the buck to his deputy, Heng Seai Kie.

“We asked the ministry why the number of women Cabinet minister was reduced from the previous three in the last term, to only one this time around but nothing came forth.

“So what happened to the government’s commitment to ensure that 30% of the decision making in Cabinet is made by women?” asked the Bukit Mertajam MP.

She pointed out that Najib cannot do justice to the post, adding that even Heng had said that the ministry’s role was to care for Malaysians from cradle to grave.

“We’re not saying that a man cannot hold the post but not only is he the prime minister, Najib is also the finance minister. He simply cannot do justice to the important position,” she added.

She reminded Najib that being a prime minister did not mean that he could simply assume or relinquish any posts in the Cabinet without considering its impact on the country.

“A minister is appointed to serve the rakyat, not to resolve political squabbles in the party,” she stressed.