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JAG accused of hypocrisy over Aiyoh…Wat Lah Awards?!

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Free Malaysia Today

JAG accused of hypocrisy

Members of Hold Awam Accountable disrupted JAG’s ‘Aiyoh…Wat Lah Awards?!’ on Sunday, accusing them of being complicit in protecting an alleged sexual offender

KUALA LUMPUR: The Joint Action Gender’s (JAG) annual spoof award highlighting sexism was disrupted by six protesters on Sunday who accused the women’s rights coalition of hypocrisy.

Hold Awam Accountable (HAA) members hurled abuse at JAG for mocking politicians’ misogynistic remarks, yet defending sister organisation All Women’s Action Society’s (Awam) conduct of allegedly “protecting a sexual offender”.

(See Awam protecting sexual offender?)
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HAA members barred entry

The ruckus on Sunday was sparked off when Alina and fellow HAA member Lilian Tan were barred from entering the ‘Aiyoh… What Lah?!’ Awards 2013 by Woman’s Action Organisation (WAO) executive director Ivy Josiah.

“We have a right [to bar you from entering]. It’s our event. We know you’re here to cause trouble and we have a right to say ‘no’,” Josiah told Alina and Lilian.

When Alina protested, stressing it was a public event, Josiah said: “This is precisely why we don’t want you to come in. We’re asking you very nicely, very politely to not enter.”

But Josiah added that HAA were welcome to protest peacefully outside.

However, Alina and Lilian ultimately forced their way to the steps of the venue, and, unable to move further, yelled their case to those trying to enter.

Other HAA members were seen distributing pamphlets titled “JAG and Awam also deserve Aiyo…Wat Lah?! awards”, and claiming that JAG was complicit in protecting a “sexual offender”.

Members of the managing committee attempting to engage with Alina and Lilian were shouted down, and told it was “too late”.

But after about 20 minutes, the two eventually agreed to discuss the matter outside with Josiah and other JAG leaders.

There, they agreed to have a proper discussion over the case next month with all the parties involved, although they steadfastly refused to have the alleged offender present at the meeting.

Also read:

Awam protecting sexual offender?
‘There was misconduct, reprimand was issued’

https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/05/28/jag-accused-of-hypocrisy/

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The “Aiyoh…Wat Lah?!” 2013 Awards

The winners of the other categories are:

Foot in Mouth: Then de facto Law Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz, who claimed that he does not know about the alleged links between his son Nedim and timber tycoon Michael Chia because he is not gay and does not sleep with his son.

Poking fun at Nazri, Ribena Berry said it was akin to saying that one must be gay to know one’s son, so it is better not to know what are the children up to.

She added, “But I don’t understand why he thinks all the people who are gay are also pedophile. He cannot tell the difference between gays and pedophiles, but he should know!

“If you are a pedophile, you will be released if you have a bright future!”

She was making a reference to a court verdict in August last year, where a Court of Appeal decision to allow national bowler Noor Afizal Azizan to be bound over for good behavior and escape a jail sentence for statutory rape against a 13-year old girl.

The decision has also earned the appellate court a special mention in today’s award ceremony, for “exemplary conduct in upholding the rights of rapists.”

“This is why you must tell your children that they must study very hard. If they study hard, they will have a ‘bright future’ and they can do anything in Malaysia. They are settled for life,” said Ribena.

Policy Fail: Kota Bharu Municipal Council, for issuing summons to a female hairdresser for cutting a male customer’s hair.
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Cannot Ignore: High Court Judge Zamani Abdul Rahim, for absolving a kindergarten operator of allegedly raping a four-year old on basis that “women have a tendency to exaggerate about a sexual act,” and that the victim’s testimony is unreliable.

Unlike the other nominees and winners, there was no laugher from the full house crowd of close to 100 as Ribena Berry spelled out Zamani’s citation for the award. Instead, there was silence.

“Cannot laugh isn’t it?” she said, “Nothing to laugh. In Malaysia, as usual we like to blame the victim. Even if the victim is four-years old, we want to blame them. This is not funny, this is so unfunny.
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Least Helpful to the Sisterhood: Former Women’s Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, over her statement that “It is because of the achievements of the Umno-BN government that… we don’t need to be (women’s) activists, we don’t need to burn our bras to achieve gender equality.”

She said this in her winding-up speech at the Umno General Assembly last year.

Enough Already: The award goes to a series of harassments and misogynistic attacks targeting Bersih co-chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan between April 23 to June 27, following the April 28 Bersih 3.0 rally.
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Right on Track: The Malaysian Parliament, for amending its Standing Orders to ban sexist remarks in the house.

Women’s minister Najib bags ‘sexist’ award
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Malaysiakini

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is named as one of the six winners at the annual ‘sexist’ awards today, bagging the “insulting intelligence” category by a ‘landslide victory’.

This was over his claim in October last year as the then-women’s minister that “There is no need for a women’s rights movement in Malaysia because equality has been given from the start.”

Announcing the award winners in stand-up comedy style, Miss Ribena Berry added, “He (Najib) said that is why in Malaysia, it is the men who is the endangered species.

“I know some of the men in parliament are like orang utan, but they are not endangered, you know?”

Ribena Berry (left), which is the stage name for the playwright Jo Kukathas, also chastised Najib for not knowing his facts and pointed out Malaysia is ranked 100 out of 135 in the 2012 Global Gender Gap Report.

She said Najib had won the award by a ‘landslide’, but did not disclose the number of votes he garnered.

The award, dubbed “Aiyoh… What Lah?! Awards”, is an initiative by the coalition of women’s rights NGOs Joint Action Group on Gender Equality (JAG).

It is meant raise awareness on what constitutes sexism, misogyny, homophobia and transphobia by highlighting such instances in public discourse.

Women’s minister Najib bags ‘sexist’ award

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Ivy Josiah ‏@ivyjosiah 23 May

@Ambiga_S Funny! Don’t miss the #Aiyoh…Wat Lah?! Awards! This Sunday 26 May, 4:30PM, at Leonardo’s Jalan Bangkung. pic.twitter.com/zLpkjiDjS4“

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Watch last year’s awards ceremony!

Aiyoh…Wat Lah?! Awards 2012

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Gay Star News: “Nominations in for homophobia and misogyny awards in Malaysia”

For the second year in a row the most misogynistic, sexist, homophobic and transphobic public statements, acts and policy are being awarded in Malaysia to name and shame the worst perpetrators.

Organized by the Joint Action Group for Gender Equality, the Aiyoh… Wat Lah?! (a Malaysia expression of disbelief) Awards debuted last year to hit back at the seemingly endless stream of offense to women and LGBT people.

*The Foot in Mouth category
De facto law minister Nazri Aziz, ‘I don’t sleep with my son. I’m not gay’ when he was accused of improper behavior in a corruption case.

*Insulting Intelligence category
1 The ban on Irshad Manji’s tour of her book about LGBT-tolerant Islam.
2 The government’s national social extremist threat division assistant director Mohd Sofian Md Makinuddin for saying that street demonstrations and LGBT people are more dangerous than communists.
3 MP Puad Zarkashi was named for describing a political coalition as ‘like a gay marriage where one doesn’t know who is the father and who is the mother’.
4 Deputy minister Mashitah Ibrahim for saying that LGBT people have no rights under the constitution.

5 The prime minister, Najib Razak, for saying there is ‘no need for a women’s rights movement in Malaysia’ because woman have had equality ‘from the start’.

*The Cannot Ignore category
1 The decision not to allow a court challenge the police ban of Seksualiti Merdeka (LGBT rights festival).
2 Prime Minister Najib Razak, ‘We will ensure that any deviant culture, such as the behavior of the LGBTs and deviant thoughts such as liberalism and pluralism will not get any place in this country.’

The Enough Already! category ‘awards’ offensive acts that are ‘like an endless repeat of a really, really bad song’.
1 Justifying hatred towards LGBT people using Islam
2 Efforts to stop the ‘spread of LGBT’.
3 Saying that LGBT people are the cause of HIV/AIDS.

The ‘winners’ in each category will be announced at a ceremony on Sunday 26 May presented by Ribena Berry, a character played by Jo Kukathas.

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Najib, Rosmah nominated for awards but…

The prime minister and his wife are in the running for the “Aiyo…Wat Lah!” awards.

PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor are in the running to win awards. But it is for the wrong reasons.

Najib had been nominated for the “Insulting Intelligence” category with his remark that there was “no need for a women’s rights movement in Malaysia because equality has been given from the start.”

Whereas Rosmah could clinch the “Least Helpful To The Sisterhood” title with her call on women to stand by their husbands to help strengthen the family institution.

“It’s what wives must do, we give strength to our husbands,” she had said.

Najib, Rosmah nominated for awards but…

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Vote The Winners For The 2013 Aiyoh…Wat Lah?! Awards

Open mouth, insert foot. Cast your vote for one of the following nominees.   “Pakai sarung tangan pegang isteri nanti tak terasa.” (13 March 2012) :: Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is alleged to have made this remark when handed a pair of gloves by women’s rights activists as part of the Wanita Suara Perubahan campaign calling for clean governance.

“I don’t sleep with my son. I’m not gay.” (1 November 2012) :: De-facto Law Minister Nazri Aziz when asked about his son’s relationship with a Sabahan timber trader. Nazri reportedly said he does not keep up with his son’s dealings as the latter is neither his wife nor his lover.

For more, go to:
The “Aiyoh…Wat Lah?!” Awards
aiyohwatlah.tumblr.com

And the best example of a failure to use logic and reason in 2012 is…   “There is no need for a women’s rights movement in Malaysia because equality has been given from the start.” (2 October 2012) :: Prime Minister and Women, Family and Community Development Minister Najib Razak reportedly claimed that there is “no need for a women’s rights movement in Malaysia” because equality has been given “from the start”, that Malaysia is “way ahead” of developed nations in terms of women’s rights, and that all this has led to great success among Malaysian women “to the extent that the men are said to be an endangered species”. The Prime Minister reportedly said this at the government’s Women’s Day celebration.

For more, go to:
The “Aiyoh…Wat Lah?!” Awards
aiyohwatlah.tumblr.com

About the Awards

The organisers: The Joint Action Group for Gender Equality (JAG), which consists of the following organisations:

• All Women’s Action Society (AWAM)
• Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor (Empower)
• Perak Women for Women (PWW)
• Persatuan Sahabat Wanita Selangor (PSWS)
• Sabah Women’s Action-Resource Group (SAWO)
• Sisters in Islam (SIS)
• Tenaganita
• Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO)
• Women’s Centre for Change (WCC)

The objectives:

(i)         To raise public awareness on what constitutes sexism, misogyny, homophobia, and transphobia

(ii)        To educate the public to expect higher standards of behaviour from public figures and institutions

(iii)      To encourage public figures and institutions to adhere to higher standards of behaviour in relation to gender and sexuality

Eligible nominees: Any public statement, act, or policy that was reported in the media between January 1 and December 31 of the previous year will be eligible for nomination if it is deemed sexist, misogynistic, homophobic, and/or transphobic (or helpful in challenging these forms of discrimination in the case of the “Right on Track” award). Specific criteria are set for each of the seven awards categories.

For more, go to:

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