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Media Statement (2)     
by Lim Kit Siang  
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(Petaling Jaya, Sunday) : Gerakan Secretary-General and Deputy Information Minister, Datuk Seri Chia Kwang Chye, should not condone the two sexist Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs, Datuk Mohd Said Yusof (Jasin) and Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin (Kinabatangan) for their incorrigible sexism in Parliament if he dare not openly castigate the duo for their dishonesty and fake apologies to bring about a dishonourable closure to the nation-wide furore over their crude, derogatory, sexist and gender-offensive remarks in Parliament last week. 

Chia said yesterday that as Mohd Said and Bung Mohtar have apologized, everybody should stop raising the issue anymore. (Guanming). 

This is most shocking and shows that one of the problems of Barisan Nasional leaders when they become Ministers or Deputy Ministers is their surrender of the sense of justice and their faculties to differentiate between right from wrong. 

Surely, Chia is aware of the patent dishonesty of the duo in making fake apologies which compounded the original offence they committed, and which cannot be accepted at all by right-thinking and justice-loving Malaysians. 

I would urge Chia to reconsider what he said yesterday and openly withdraw his statement asking everyone to stop pursuing the issue purportedly on the ground that the apologies of the two are acceptable. 

Just imagine what would have happened if it was a DAP MP who made the crude, derogatory, sexist and gender-offensive remarks against a woman  BN MP.  There is no doubt that he would have been referred immediately to the Committee of Privileges and a severe punishment of one to two years suspension without allowance would have been meted out unless a full, unconditional and acceptable apology is tendered – and I would say, rightly too! 

There should not be hypocrisy and double-standards in upholding the honour of Parliament and gender equality and dignity. 

I call on Chia to initiate action to ask for a meeting of the Barisan Nasional Supreme Council to convey the disgust of Malaysian women and men at the fake apologies of Mohd Said and Bung Mokhtar and to demand that both must be penalized with at least six-month suspension as MP, six-month community service with women groups and the forfeit of their parliamentary allowance during this period to be donated to women groups.                     

(20/5/2007)