For the Palace & PAS, the problem with Azizah is she's a WOMAN - isn't it?

The impasse in appointing Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as menteri besar in Selangor, a first in Malaysia, if it becomes a reality, puts on record the unwritten repressive gender bias against women in our own backyard.

The reluctance of PAS to support PKR’s nominee Dr Wan Azizah, despite having the support of 30 assembly members versus 26 from Umno and PAS, clearly shows their bias against women and the gender inequality they practise.

And this unexpected turnaround came after the Pakatan coalition had verbally endorsed her and decided on her candidacy for the menteri besar post.

It is puzzling that PAS president Datuk Seri Haji Abdul Hadi Awang admitted that the sultan did not rule out a woman MB candidate to date.

The question then is: Why is PAS bending backwards to block the first ever woman menteri besar?

Earlier in the Selangor crisis, state PAS deputy commissioner Abdul Rani Osman pointed to palace for turning down a woman candidate.

But after Pakatan unanimously decided on Dr Wan Azizah, PAS back-tracked and proposed other male candidates from their own ranks and from PKR.

This duplicity shows that PAS is a male-dominated religious party that practises discrimination against women.

To compliment PAS, Umno legal advisor Datuk Mohd Hafarizam Harun came out with the absurd remark that menstruating women should be disqualified from becoming an MB.

Women are a dominant force in higher education and the workforce, and are playing a more central role in society.

But chauvinist political leaders in PAS and Umno are not reconciled with the reality on the ground and have insulated themselves with a narrow, outdated religious worldview.

Even when Dyana Sofya contested under the DAP ticket in Teluk Intan, Umno leaders were spewing sexist remarks that belittled the dignity and integrity of women.

Our neighbours, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia, have all had women heads of state. Indonesia, the largest Muslim country in the world, had Megawati Sukarno Putri as president. But in sharp contrast, in Malaysia, nominating a woman MB garners opposition from conservative Muslim parties.

Even Pakistan and Bangladesh have had woman heads. Only the Arab states prohibit women’s participation in politics and deprive them of rights. Malaysia is fast following the Arab model and not the other non-Arab Muslim countries where women are given equality.

The Selangor palace can set right women’s position and uphold their dignity in one swift move. PAS and Umno find it hard to reconcile a woman’s role in family, society and politics, and this remains a stumbling block for women in Malaysia.

Gender equality is the cornerstone of every democratic society which aspires to social justice and human rights.

Discrimination of gender in this 21st century is outmoded and cannot be tolerated or swept under the carpet.

It is perpetuated by ignorant stereotypes, superstitions and traditional beliefs that aims at subjugating women and keeping them in their traditional but outdated positions at home. –TMI