Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was told to apologise for his remark to an 18-year-old girl at a town hall session, which was deemed “inappropriate, discriminatory, and sexist”.
Bersatu legal and constitution bureau deputy chairperson Sasha Lyna Abdul Latif also urged women leaders in Pakatan Harapan and the federal government to speak up over this “manifest example of sexism” by their leader.
Anwar yesterday attended a town hall session in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan where he replied to a question by the Form Six student by praising her for being articulate and saying he would have asked for her number were he a younger man.
“It was a classic and stunning display of discriminatory, bigoted, and sexist language by the 75-year-old prime minister to the 18-year-old Adriana.
“In no circumstances is this kind of language acceptable. In a public televised forum, it is doubly shocking.
“What sort of example is the country’s prime minister setting for the youth of the nation? That it’s fine to ignore the intelligence and capacity of women, and instead treat them as an object of flirtation?” Sasha asked in a statement today.
She said Anwar would surely not reply in that manner if the person asking the question was a man.
As a politician who has championed the Reformasi movement for the past 25 years, she said Anwar should have known better than to crack such a joke.
“This is a man fond of emphasising ‘civilised discourse’ from every forum and pulpit. But civilised discourse seems to have deserted him on this occasion,” she said.
The prime minister should instead be committed to fostering a respectful nation free from discrimination, prejudice, or sexism, she said.
“We urge the prime minister to accept that he made a blatantly sexist comment in a public forum and apologise to the student affected and to all who participated in the event, as well as to the nation,” Sasha said.
University event
In last night’s event, which was held at Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, the student, who introduced herself as Adriana, asked two questions about how the younger generation can help Malaysia become a first-class nation and about the government’s plan regarding the ringgit’s value.
In a short video of the event posted by Astro Awani, Anwar was seen praising Adriana for her articulate manner in posing her questions.
“If I were younger, I would have asked for your number,” he joked.
In response, the moderator also jested, “If Datuk Seri gets it, please give it to me.”
Anwar then quipped that his wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail always watches these livestreams. - Mkini
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