Media statement by Lim Guan Eng in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, 1^st April 2011: 

BN should prove they respect women and 1Malaysia by sacking sexist BN MP Bung Moktar and the MACC prove they respect human rights by sacking sex addict Mohd Ashraf Mohd Yunus 

BN should prove that they respect women by sacking sexist BN for Kinabatangan Datuk Bung Moktar and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency(MACC) prove they respect human rights by sacking sex addict Mohd Ashraf Mohd Yunos. The Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak should prove his disagreement with Bung’s statement that women do not know how to drive and are a danger to other road users with stern action by immediately sacking Bung for making such sexist remarks.

To-date Bung Moktar has not withdrawn and apologised for his claim in Parliament on 28.3.3011 that women made bad drivers because they had a relaxed attitude and were not focused. Instead he has taken the ridiculous position that instead of being an aggressive sexist, he is now the victim of sexual harassment by women! However it is irrelevant whether Bung withdraws and apologises or not, for stating that female drivers drove dangerously and were causing road accidents because they were oblivious to their surroundings.

The time has come for a sexist and extremist MPs like Bung’s to be sacked from BN to demonstrate that Najib’s 1Malaysia includes respect for women. This is not the first time that Bung has denigrated women with disgraceful remarks. He had earlier apologised for his offensive remarks in 2007 to DAP MP for Batu Gajah Fong Po Kuan that she leaked every month in response to her complaints about a leak in the Parliament’s roof after RM100 million in renovations.

Statistical evidence of women drivers being a danger to other road users instead shows that it is the men that causes more accidents. The Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) shows that in 2009, the numbers of crashes involving men drivers were 2.4 times more than women drivers. There were 244,336 cases involving man drivers as compared to 103,153 cases with women drivers, throughout the nation. In addition, if we were to ratio the crash number with the number of population, men scores 1,351.74 crashes per 100,000 male populations, while women was 537.97 crashes per 100,000 female populations.

Bung is clearly expressing a chauvinistic sentiment that has no factual basis of Malaysians being unsafe on the roads, especially when there are women drivers around. How can Malaysia move forward in terms of gender equality with a serial offender like Bung, who protests that he loves women yet humiliates them repeatedly? This is typical behaviour of men who considers women good only as sex objects.

At the same time the Royal Commission of Inquiry(RCI) into Teoh Beng Hock’s tragic death, Tan Sri James Foong said he was a little shocked that MACC’s Selangor assistant superintendent Mohd Ashraf Mohd Yunus watched pornography when he was supposed to do his duty of monitoring Teoh. MACC should sack Ashraf not because Ashraf viewed pornography on his computer in MACC offices in the wee hours of July 16, 2009, but for failing to observe his basic duties of monitoring Teoh Beng Hock.

Watching pornography in itself is a disciplinary matter that does not warrant sacking. However, watching pornography when Ashraf was supposed to look after Teoh, who was then found dead hours later, deserves sacking.

What is more shocking is the contention by RCI commissioner Mohamed Hatta Shaharom that Ashraf was singled out positively on 13 occasions in identification parades in relations to police reports of abuse and torture against Ashraf. Although Ashraf had denied ill-treating his case subjects, the royal commission had divulged during the inquiry previously that police were halted in their probe on such allegation as there was no cooperation from the MACC.

Mohamed Hatta pointed out correctly in questioning the logic of MACC retaining an officer who was identified repeatedly 13 times in an identification parade for abusing and torturing suspects. The time has come for MACC to stop its denial syndrome, boldly admit that there is torture by MACC officers and come down hard on abusers of such basic human rights if MACC is committed to cleaning up itself and restore its image as a professional anti-corruption agency.

*Lim Guan Eng, DAP Secretary General & MP for Bagan