ALOR STAR – There is a difference when one speaks employing a “village-styled” dialect compared to speaking in an urbanised setting which tends to have a different standard of political correctness, said Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammed Sanusi Md Nor.
The meaning of things said can be starkly different, Sanusi asserted, after he was criticised for referring to women as “betina” (females) and casting doubt on whether female representatives are up to the task if their constituents seek help in the pre-dawn hours.
“I am not sexist,” said Sanusi, claiming he spoke in a “village lingo” after he was campaigning in the largely rural Sik setting here.
Sik is one of the 12 administrative districts in Kedah, which is seeing multi-cornered fights in all its 15 parliamentary seats.
He accused certain quarters of taking his statement out of context when he was campaigning for Perikatan Nasional (PN) during this general election campaign.
“The talk was within the context of Sik and considering the geographical, socioeconomic and sociocultural setting, and the attitude of rural folks, it is much more suitable for a male candidate to be voted in Sik.”
But in Alor Star, for example, the setting is different due to the urbanised living, so women are more than qualified to contest here, said Sanusi.
“That is the truth, I’m not sexist. Sik requires a male elected representative,” he said after a PN rally at Kodiang here last night.
Sanusi also lashed out at Pakatan Harapan’s calls for him to apologise for his remarks.
He claimed that opposition parties have run out of political arguments and had resorted to criticising him.
In the 21st century, females are smarter than men in academic fields and there are more females in institutions of higher learning than men, he said.
However, he insisted that although women are smarter, Sik still needs a man as their elected representative.
PH is gaining momentum in Kedah although it remains to be seen if it can compete with Barisan Nasional (BN), which is traditionally strong in Kedah.
BN aims to win 10 out of the 15 parliamentary seats in the state. – The Vibes, November 13, 2022.
