Isma faces Dyana’s wrath for ‘putting women in their place’

Dyana asks if Isma wants half the country’s population to remain unemployed and therefor jeopardise its aim of high-income nation.

KUALA LUMPUR: Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud, the political secretary to DAP elder statesman Lim Kit Siang, has questioned Isma’s policy statement on the role of women in society that centres around virtually “putting women in their place”.

For starters, Dyana wanted to know what locus standi Isma had to issue such a statement.

She was referring to Johor Isma Women and Community Bureau Chief Dr Nur Farrah Nadia Najib, “betraying women everywhere”, and posting on Wanita Isma’s website: “A high income nation must not rely on women as the major contributor but men should lead the workforce and put their biggest effort in shaping the nation”.

“Does Isma want half of our population to stop working and stay at home to raise children?” asked Dyana in a statement. “Is she asking half of our workforce to quit working today?”

“If we agree with Isma, 50 per cent of the workforce would have to be replaced. With that sudden high unemployment rate, how would that make Malaysia a high income nation?”

Whether she realised it or not, added Dyana, Nur Farrah’s statement was discriminatory against women. “She was implying that women’s participation in our workforce would stunt the nation’s growth towards high income nation.”

In urging Nur Farrah to re-consider her involvement with the “sexist, anti-women and discriminatory” Isma, Dyana pointed out that there were several conventions, with Malaysia a signatory, governing the role of women in society.

Malaysia ratified the United Nation’s Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in 1995, an international human rights treaty that focuses on women’s rights and women’s issues all around the world.

“This means our government has given full commitment to fulfil, respect, protect and promote the rights of women in our country,” said Dyana.

“It is a state’s obligation to subscribe to the articles of the convention and report to the CEDAW committee on measures taken.”

“The state must respect women’s rights by not enacting discriminatory laws or engage in discriminatory practices and must repeal discriminatory laws.”

Dyana also pointed out that the state was accountable for discrimination against women by identifying discrimination prevention and prohibiting discrimination and providing redress.

“The state must impose sanctions against discriminatory acts, promote women’s rights and equality through proactive measures and accelerate de facto equality.”

“The state has the obligation to implement temporary special measures to accelerate women’s equality and address historical discrimination,” she added.

This is important because the nature of our patriarchal system had put women at a disadvantageous position, she continued.

“Therefore the state must address this issue by implementing suitable policies.”

DAP committed to equality of the sexes

Other examples of temporary special measures included reserving some seats in decision making for women, according to Dyana. “If women make up about 50 per cent of the population, women must be accordingly represented in decision making positions so that their interests will not be left out.”

She pledged that DAP strived to be a political party for all Malaysians, regardless of gender, race and religion, and believed in practicing what it preached.

“The DAP amended its constitution recently to ensure 30 per cent quota for women in its central executive committee to empower and encourage them,” she said.

It’s not about the quota or the number, she explained. “It’s about striving towards equal representation. It also reflects the DAP’s commitment to promoting our women to be on par with our male counterparts.”

Dyana also said that if Nur Farrah was really serious about the progress of the nation, she should know that women and men working together, with equal rights and dignity, could help make Malaysia a high-income nation.

“But more than just a high income country, DAP also strives towards a free, democratic, multiracial nation where every citizen respects one another’s faith and beliefs.”

Isma, a Malay NGO in the fringe has openly advocated that men should be out working, while women should cover themselves up and apparently dedicate themselves to a life of poverty and dependency at home. Women should confine themselves to child-bearing and child-rearing and wait hand and foot, serving their lord and master at home.

Isma held up Japan as a role model on this.