BN should drop Bung Moktar in GE14 in respect for women

MIRI : Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) is urging Barisan Nasional (BN) to drop Bung Moktar Radin, the current MP for Kinabatangan, Sabah from contesting in the coming 14th General Election (GE14) out of respect for women.

“Bung Moktar is a senseless sexist and a loose cannon in parliament all these years. A few days ago, he made statements on nudity of women in Parliament and had drawn flak from not only the women community, but men too,” said PKR national women chief, Voon Shiak Ni in a press statement yesterday.

She added that this was not the first time Bung Mokhtar made such sexist remark. In 2007 the Dewan Rakyat found Bung Mokhtar guilty for his offensive remarks to a female opposition MP, when he said the later ‘leaks’ every month. He was comparing a woman’s period to a leaking roof.

“Then in 2011, Bung Mokhtar was alleged to water down women in Parliament by saying that females are lousy drivers.

“Then again in 2015, he continued his sexist remarks and this time he directed his sexist remark at MP Zuraida Kamaruddin while Zuriada was debating in the Dewan Rakyat. He tried to ridicule Zuraida by saying that Zuraida’s husband would be frightened of her at home if the situation was similar,” said Voon.

She added that a protest by several women groups was also made outside the Parliament calling for Bung Mokhtar to apologise for his sexist remarks after the incident.

Voon opined that everyone is entitled to his opinions and views but as a Parliamentarian, hurling unfair discriminating sexists remarks against female MPs and the women race as a whole is totally unacceptable and barbaric .

She pointed out that the ‘nudity’ statement on women made by Bung last week in Parliament should be the last straw and he should be dropped from being nominated as a candidate in the next General Election.

“An apology is not enough as he has been given a number of warnings to refrain from hurling sexists remarks in Parliament, and by doing it again and again showed that he has no remorse and therefore he is not fit and not qualified to be a Parliamentarian, to represent the people where more than half of the voters are women,” she remarked.

Voon called on the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and BN to drop Bung Mokhtar as a BN candidate for the coming GE as a show of respect for the women of Malaysia.