Don't undermine women candidates - Suraya

PENDANG: In the excitement of delivering ceramah, political party leaders have been urged not to undermine women candidates contesting in the 15th General Election.

Barisan Nasional candidate for the Pendang parliamentary seat, Datuk Suraya Yaacob, said every leader needs to be careful when delivering their speech because an election is where constituents choose their representatives, and therefore, should not be done in a way that lowers the dignity of any group.

"The National Council of Women's Organisations Malaysia and I regret the speech of a leader who demeans women, and even an apology will not be able to 'erase' what has been said.

"It is worth noting that there are women candidates representing his party in several constituencies and that his senior state executive councillor is also a woman," she told reporters here today.

Suraya said this when asked to comment on the action of a state leader who used the word 'betina' in his ceramah to refer to a woman candidate representing another party.

-- BERNAMA