KUALA LUMPUR: Strong action needs to be taken against the Langkawi member of parliament Datuk Mohd Suhaimi Abdullah for his sexist remarks in parliament, said International Women's Alliance for Family Institution and Quality Education (Wafiq) president, Prof Dr Rafidah Hanim Mokhtar.
Rafidah and her deputy, Fatihah Iliani Jamhari, stated that the MP's offensive and obscene speech violated Regulation 23 of the Standing Orders of the Dewan Rakyat.
They added that his actions demonstrate sexual harassment as defined in the Sexual Harassment (Amendment) Act 2022 (Act 840).
"Stringent action needs to be taken against him to send a signal that the public should not be accustomed to offensive, indecent and obscene speech to ensure that sexual harassment does not continue to escalate in this country. The responsibility to combat sexual harassment is not solely placed on the citizens but also on the highest officials, especially members of parliament, who form the backbone of the process of legislating the country's laws.
"It is impossible to uphold the rule of law as the cornerstone of a nation if those appointed to discuss it behave offensively," they said in a statement today.
In the same statement, they explained the definition of Section 2 of Act 840, which pertains to sexual harassment, involving any unwanted sexual behavior in any form, whether oral, non-oral, visual, gestural, or physical, directed towards someone, which humiliates or threatens their well-being.
At the same time, Wafiq also criticised a viral image of Capital A Bhd CEO and AirAsia co-founder, Tony Fernandes, seen lying on the laps of several female employees of the airline company.
"The viral image proves the weak awareness among employers in respecting the dignity and honour of female employees in the workplace, to the extent that many remain indifferent and are willing to engage in disgusting actions as portrayed," the statement said.
Wafiq further reminded the general public, especially those in managerial roles, that Malaysia has Act 840 that clearly defines sexual harassment.
"This definition also binds the provisions under Part XVA of the Employment Act 1955 (Act 265), specifically formulated to handle complaints of sexual harassment in the workplace.
"Therefore, we urge the airline company to take strict action against Fernandes to set a better example for its employees.
"Fernandes had previously attended a meeting shirtless, and his recent action clearly demonstrates that such an unhealthy organisational culture needs to be changed," they said.
In addition, Wafiq called on the general public to take sexual harassment in the workplace seriously and report it to the authorities, whether to the company's human resources department or directly to the police, so that such actions are not tolerated in civil society.
"In advocating for the issue of sexual harassment, our main demand is for a conclusive and realistic framework to be applied to all codes of practice or policies in this country to completely eradicate sexual harassment in the workplace.
"We see it as essential to establish a comprehensive legal framework and policy development to combat the issue of sexual harassment in the workplace because every year, Wafiq frequently receives various public complaints about it from employees who have experienced such incidents.
"Among these complaints, employees of the airline company have been sexually harassed. This is in line with the findings of a study by Harvard University, which showed that flight attendants face severe sexual harassment during flights or in the workplace, from airline passengers, pilots and coworkers," they added.
They emphasised that random incidents of sexual harassment should be taken seriously and stopped immediately.
"Wafiq urges all Malaysians to oppose sexual harassment that degrades the dignity and honour of the people of this country," they said.
