Malaysian politician under fire for comparing women to cows

A rural politician’s clumsy attempt at a cow-based metaphor has drawn a chorus of condemnation, shining a spotlight on the deep-rooted misogyny within Malaysia’s politics.

In a convoluted social media post on Sunday, Muhammad Salman Al Farisi, a local official from the Islamist PAS party, likened women leaders to cows – invoking his own herd of cattle to illustrate.

“When a female cow is appointed as the leader, she decides everything, while the males around her only know how to graze the crops,” wrote the youth information chief for PAS’ Maran branch.

“That’s why, if possible, we shouldn’t be like cows that elevate their ‘female’ as their leader.”

His remarks were immediately condemned as “demeaning” and “outdated”, not only by the public on social media but also from within his own opposition coalition.