COMMENT | A few months ago, former US President Barack Obama shared a message heard around the world, where he said: “More women need to be put in positions of power because men seem to be having some problems these days.”

Instantly the statement reminded me of Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

Wan Azizah proudly began her journey in the Malaysian political scene as the wife of then deputy prime minister and husband Anwar Ibrahim, when he was shockingly sacked from his position.

Since then, for almost two decades, Wan Azizah was viewed as a reluctant politician, a puppet of her jailed husband. Today, she stands in front of the world as the deputy prime minister of Malaysia.

Sounding like a true feminist in a recent interview with Malaysiakini, Wan Azizah highlighted that her appointment as Malaysia’s first female deputy prime minister had many women feeling uplifted, proving that women can achieve new heights.

And in the same ‘women power’ spirit, the Wonder Woman of Malaysia called for Pakatan Harapan’s 30 percent women in the cabinet manifesto to be fulfilled.

Okay, before people start chasing me with sticks and labelling me as an anti-feminist, let’s set something straight: I am not an anti-feminist and I don’t hate women; I love women and I love being a woman. I am also very much for women’s rights and women empowerment. But what I do not support is turning a ‘women power’ circus into gender discrimination.

Yes, calling for a 30 percent quota for women representation in the cabinet is indeed gender discrimination.

Though I must say, Wan Azizah does try her best to clarify that these 30 percent women representation policy will be based on capability and qualification, and not solely on gender...