When some politicians open their mouth, we know they are lying. That is what they said, about former British PM, Tony Blair.
At home, when Deputy prime minister, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail speaks, we visibly wilt.
Today, in a report published in Malaysiakini, Wan Azizah said that she supported the government’s efforts to legislate paternity leave for the private sector.
Her reasons for the support? She claimed that Malaysia was slowly becoming a country with an aging population and said, “The idea is good. There are obstacles among the employers. But in terms of (paternity) leave, it is good because we are becoming a country with an aging population.
“So we encourage more people to have children”.
Why take paternity leave?
In some places around the world, paternity leave of either one or two consecutive weeks is given to fathers or partners so that they can take time off from work to support their wives or girlfriends, and help to take care of their baby.
Paternity leave is for fathers who want to bond with their baby or child and have greater responsibility for their child’s upbringing.
There are hidden costs. Who pays for the leave? The employer or the government?
Why equate paternity leave with population growth?
Is Wan Azizah aware that having large families cost money? Many Muslims must stop thinking that couples with large families are blessed. Who will feed, clothe, and educate the children? Who pays for their medical bills if the children fall seriously ill? Is quantity (large numbers of children) more important than quality (of life that the children lead)?
Scenario 1
The wife who has just given birth is still in confinement and may not be interested in having sex.
The husband may be (keen on sex), and if the wife is unwilling, he may visit his mistress, or whoever takes his fancy.
If he makes his mistress or girlfriend, pregnant, this is probably what the DPM meant by encouraging population growth.
Scenario 2
If there is no mistress, the man, if he is Muslim, may scour the countryside for a new wife, to take care of his sexual needs.
It will not just be a population growth that we are looking at, but a man who enters into a polygamous marriage.
Wife number “X”, who has just given birth, will be livid. She now has to share the marital bed and his affection with his wives. Can he support all of them?
More babies = Population growth.
Scenario 3
The husband who takes paternity leave, may not necessarily be helping his wife with the new baby, help change the baby’s soiled nappies, help prepare the infant formula, or help the new mother have plenty of rest.
For all we know, the husband on paternity leave, is spending it on the golf course, or is watching TV, at the cinema, with his mates, or is lepak-ing at home and expects his wife to wait on him. He could be wanting peace and quiet, by relaxing with a girlfriend.
Scenario 4
The husband who takes paternity leave, may find that bawling babies and changing nappies are not really his thing.
So, instead of the population growth that the DPM was hoping for, fathers are at put off sex. Or, he will ensure that his wife takes some form of birth control to limit the number of babies they may have.
Scenario 5
The polygamous husband is smart enough to marry wives with steady jobs, so that he can live off their income and all he need to is to roll from one marital bed to another. Conversely, the “long-term” paternity leave husband can proudly boast that he has a job, unlike the unemployed polygamous husband.
The only difference is that the long-term paternity leave husband is more often than not, absent from work.
He will ensure that he impregnates his four wives on a regular basis, to ensure that first and foremost, the country has a steady population growth; but more importantly, he is almost forever on paternity leave.
The population growth that the DPM hopes for will happen, but it will not solve the ageing population or the work crises.
Out of touch with reality
Does Wan Azizah know the cost of having a large family? Even a pregnant mother needs money for doctor’s checks, medical care, anti-natal clinics, check ups, preparation for the baby, nappies, baby milk, cost of taking care of a new-born etc. Even if she does not pay for the medical, she has to get to the clinic or hospital. She also has to take time off work. There are hidden costs.
A large family needs a big house. A bigger car. More clothes, food, shoes, books, uniforms, medicine, and have increased child care costs.
Many people complain that they cannot make ends meet, and yet, the DPM is encouraging population growth. Has she or her PM-in-waiting-husband a magic wand to ensure a never-ending BR1M for these large families?
Are all politicians like her?
The DPM is not a career politician unlike some of the ones who go straight from university to become political aides/researchers before assuming a full blown career as a politician.
Do politicians lead sheltered lives?
Or does it mean that when they reach Putrajaya, they forget about the real-world because they are cocooned in the artificial political “bubble”?
Azizah speech reminds me of Mahatir in his early years as PM asking for population boom to 70 Million. He was practically asking each family to have at least 5 children. The reasons was not of aging population but strange at that time he was also promoting so called “Malaysia Made Cars” that set the public to view it funnily that the call was to enlarge the future market share for the car industry to thrive. At that time the economic planning and infrastructure support was still a bare minimum and not in tandem for a push growth. That is why you are seeing hugh population jump in the Malay race while the non are more astute and plan for a small quality family. So you get the picture why the crutches has to be in place . Now he is condemning them as a lazy race and should not depend on government aids but he was the one who led them to their down fall. A saint he is and a devil he is too. So when any politicians talks with a lack brainer thoughts , let it be a passing comments that do not hold but merely just to tickle themselves that they had done a smart actions.
And then have to build MARA, UiTM, matriculation schools and tahfiz schools for these 5-10 children, then have to create govt jobs for them, then forgive their PTPTN loans until they earn RM4k, which they never will. The Chinese keep feeding them until pokai, the rich and clever have fled, and Mahathir, Taib and Najib took the rest, so now here we are, US$1 = RM4.15.
He also put off the construction of the double-track train line during his time to increase his tin can sales. As more people owned cars, local public transport went to pot and bus services got worse and worse until lingkup. Poor people who have no buses to take now have to take motor, a family of 5 on one motorbike. People who cannot afford long-distance bus fares ride their motors on the highway. Foreign cars became double the price in order to protect Proton. Poorer ones buy Proton. Every time you see children mati katak in motorbike accidents, motorbikes smashed on the highway or Protons crumpled like soda cans, remember Mahataik. The majority of these accident victims are Malays.
This DPM is a disgrace. She doesn’t know what she is saying and doing. She may be a very tolerant wife but as a DPM she is nothing. Just go back to be a wife and mother.
She was a specialist doctor, not a housewife.
Its clear that Wan Azizah is the female version of village idiot Mat Sabu. But the writer appears to be confused as well by dwelling on the cost of having a large family. Second part of the article is totally crap!