MPs go back to school

All members of Parliament (MPs) as well as the Speaker and his deputies will be required to attend courses on gender sensitivity to avoid issuing sexist statements during Parliament proceedings, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz.

He said the courses would be organised from time to time by the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry to assist MPs familiarise themselves with guidelines on gender sensitive issues.

"Parliament takes note of the proposal (on this) including one raised by the member for Batu Gajah (DAP's Fong Poh Kuan). I have no problems attending the course.

"In future sessions, new members of the house would also attend similar courses," he said when winding up the debate at the Dewan Rakyat here today.

In this regard, Mohamed Nazri said the Speaker or chairman of the House committee in charge of the matter would be given the power to determine if a certain statement was sexist or not based on the intonation and tone of debate in the Dewan Rakyat.

"Certain words used in any context such as 'celaka, sial, babi' are considered impolite.

"In the case of the word 'leak', it could not be considered as impolite. But the tone of the debate and intonation used made it sexist," he said.

The Dewan Rakyat later passed an amendment to Standing Order 36(4) which was changed from 'It is an offence for members of the House to use impolite (rude) language' to "It is an offence for members of the House to use impolite (rude) language or make sexist statements.'