KUCHING: State PKR leaders have demanded Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar to make a public apology to the non-Malays for making a baseless and irresponsible comment over statutory rape.
Its chairman Baru Bian said Wan Junaidi’s statement that non-Malays were less sensitive towards child rape incidents and under reported was unacceptable, adding that it was very irresponsible for the Santubong MP to make such a sweeping statement.
“It is unacceptable because race and religion are immaterial (in this issue). No one would accept their child being statutory raped. No one would accept that irrespective of religion, culture and where you come from.
“I know other religions and races don’t like (child rape) and consider this unacceptable. He should apologise to the non-Malays,” he told a press conference here yesterday.
Wan Junaidi was asked in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday why incidents of statutory rape were more common among Malays. His response was that the non-Malays were less sensitive towards such incidents and under-reported such cases.
Baru said this was not the first time Wan Junaidi had uttered statements that were “illogical, racist and irrational”, adding that the latter should have some basis before making any statement, especially when the matter involved race and religion.
“Don’t talk about race and religion. You should look at the root cause of the problem and resolve it.”
Meanwhile, PKR national women vice president Voon Shiak Ni said it was absurd, insensible and unbecoming of Wan Junaidi to come out with such a ridiculous statement.
“It is absolutely not true that the non-Malays are less sensitive towards child rape. Wan Junaidi had just blatantly insulted non-Malays and it is a humiliation to them.
“If he cannot come out with supporting statistics and surveys on the subject, then we demand a public apology from him.”
Voon said Wan Junaidi’s statement was tantamount to a degrading statement and would have serious implication on him for not respecting other people’s beliefs, culture and religions.