PETALING JAYA: A Sabah-based NGO has hit out at the response by a minister and an actor at the centre of a much-criticised video deemed to be degrading to women.
Pergerakan Orang Wanita Empowerment and Revolution (Power) said women, family and community development minister Rina Harun’s call for detractors not to politicise the matter “missed the forest for the trees”.
Power founder Fazar Arif said actor Rosyam Nor’s statement that he only wanted to encourage women when he accused them of tardiness and stated that he wanted to beat them to wake them up was similar to how bullies manipulated their victims.
“They have put themselves deeper into the mess they created yet they continue to defend what sounds more like ‘mansplaining’, and in an even more condescending tone,” she said in a statement.
Both Rina and Rosyam, Fazar added, portrayed characteristics that were unbefitting for leaders.
She then demanded that Rina remove the video and apologise to all women in the country for the disrespect shown towards them.
“She must take full responsibility for the content of the video.”
The 40-second video drew the ire of many, including politicians, with DAP’s Hannah Yeoh calling for Rina to be sacked and Umno’s Azalina Othman Said taking a swipe at the minister, by asking for “women” to be dropped from the ministry’s portfolio.
In a separate video, Rina said she had reprimanded Rosyam, telling him not to belittle women. The actor, who is also an entrepreneur, explained that the term “belasah” in this context meant to “brainwash” and encourage the participants to rise in the field of entrepreneurship.
