KUALA LUMPUR: Women in Malaysia are praising the fining of a legislator over sexist remarks he had made, saying it is the beginning of a new era for the country to rid public discourse of such language. “This is a great time for Malaysia women,” social worker and campaigner for women's rights Sally Mohtaz told Bikyamasr.com after hearing of the ruling. “The government and the courts are finally listening to what we need and are delivering.” Mohd Isa Abu Kassim from Batang Kali was fined RM1,000 after he was found guilty of making a sexist remark in the state's assembly during a debate on Thursday. He said he had no intention of offending anyone and apologized for the misunderstanding. However, he alleged that Pakatan Rakyat backbenchers had wrongly interpreted his words and it was unfair to deem him guilty of making sexist remarks. Mohd Isa was alleged to have told state executive councillor Elizabeth Wong to “not forget to take care of our own forest" during the debate. Entering his defence, Mohd Isa said he was confident he had not committed any offence or had he contravened a Standing Order. Mohd Isa said his remarks did not contain sexist elements as he had not ridiculed or belittled Wong's capabilities due to her gender. He said his remarks could have been directed at anyone regardless of their gender. “It is also not perverse in nature. Why is Rawang and the others so otak kuning (dirty-minded)?" he asked referring to Gan Pei Nei (PKR-Rawang) who had filed the motion to dock RM5,000 from Mohd Isa's allowance. “If anyone is offended or feels insulted, I apologize," he said. Later, when wrapping up the debate, Gan proposed to reduce the fine from RM5,000 to RM1,000 after it was suggested by other backbenchers including Saari Sungib (PAS-Hulu Kelang), Hannah Yeoh (DAP-Subang Jaya) and Shuhaimi Shafiei (PKR-Sri Muda). “I propose the fine be reduced to RM1,000, and for Batang Kali to personally apologize to Wong," she said. At the state assembly lobby, Mohd Isa reiterated that he did not utter sexist remarks or contravene the Standing Order. “It is just a misinterpretation by the backbenchers. What is wrong with the word forest'? How is it sexist? Maybe she (Wong) felt that I was hinting at her personal life," he said. It came after the country's Parliament this month passed new legislation that banned sexist remarks from being made, which received much praise from women's campaigners in Malaysia. Women say it is the right move to help end years of gender-biased remarks that assist in pushing sexual violence against women in the Southeast Asian country. The proposal to modify Parliament's rules of debate was approved by the House's Standing Orders Committee. And women are throwing their support behind the move. “We are hopeful that this will be the beginning of a new era in Malaysian politics, where sexism will not be tolerated. This is a great day for Malaysia and women," Mohina Yussif, a women's rights activist, told Bikyamasr.com on Monday.
