'Stupid woman' remark stirred anger and apology in British parliament

[webfact]

'Stupid woman' remark stirred anger and apology in British parliament
Hataikarn Treesuwan,
Nuntida puangthong
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva has been under fire for his "stupid woman" remark - made during a Democrat rally last Saturday in reference to the Smart Lady reality-show contest - a project under the government's Thai Women Empowerment Fund.

Many observers cannot believe the Oxford graduate and former PM made the comment. But the opposition leader denied claims that his remark was tantamount to looking down on women in general.

However, it's not the first time a "stupid woman" claim has been made in the political arena.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague drew criticism in July after calling Labour MP Cathy Jamieson a "stupid woman" during questions to the prime minister. Hague shook his head at Jamieson as she questioned Prime Minister David Cameron whether Hague was lobbying on behalf of a Tory party donor. He then muttered "stupid woman", according to the Independent news website.

Hague's remarks drew heavy criticism of the Conservative Party. Fellow Labour MPs demanded that the foreign secretary apologise.

Speaking in the Commons later, Hague said: "I mutter many things in this House. Others shout them rather louder than I do, but I mutter many things under my breath and never intend any offence to any other honourable member," according to the Guardian website.

Abhisit's situation is similar to Hague's.

Women politicians in the ruling Pheu Thai party have called on Abhisit to apologise for his remarks, and sent him a sarong.

"Abhisit should show that he is a gentleman and take responsibility," a female Pheu Thai MP said.

The Democrat leader did not make direct reference to any individual, but Pheu Thai MP Kusumalavatee Sirikomut said in her press release on Thursday that Abhisit's remarks made many people think he referred to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

"Everybody [in my party] appreciated everything I did, especially former premier Somchai Wongsawat. He said 'thank you' to me and told me I had done a great job," she said.

"I just want to protect my prime minister," she said.

In a separate development, Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul yesterday defended Yingluck from criticism about her trips abroad.

"During her visit to each country, the prime minister had no chance to go anywhere for pleasure. She worked so hard and barely had time to breathe," he said.

A video clip posted by "Diary1" was being shared on social media about Thai people gathering to protest against Prime Minister Yingluck at a hotel in Switzerland during her visit there saying she was wasting taxpayers' money.


-- The Nation 2013-09-14

[jackr]

"During her visit to each country, the prime minister had no chance to go anywhere for pleasure. She worked so hard and barely had time to breathe," he said.

She's the bleedin' prime minister for crying out loud, she's not there to have a holiday. Miners work hard, little kids toiling in sweatshops (in Muang Thai) work hard. It gets worse. Stroll on!

As for the 'stupid woman' remark by Hague; well, if Jamieson had have muttered he were a stupid man, would it be such an issue?

[jaidam]

LOL this is all very well, but we should save our collective outrage for when/if Abhisit ever does call Yingluck a stupid woman.

Damning Abhisit for something that he didn't do rather makes the whiners look, how can I put it? stupid?

[NongKhaiKid]

"During her visit to each country, the prime minister had no chance to go anywhere for pleasure. She worked so hard and barely had time to breathe," he said.

She's the bleedin' prime minister for crying out loud, she's not there to have a holiday. Miners work hard, little kids toiling in sweatshops (in Muang Thai) work hard. It gets worse. Stroll on!

As for the 'stupid woman' remark by Hague; well, if Jamieson had have muttered he were a stupid man, would it be such an issue?

A very apt post. YL may " work hard " but unfortunately for her she never projects that image.

She's always on overseas trips, rarely attends parliament, fails to chair committes that she heads and we all know her attitude to questions.

Work hard ! What a joke, her role is to do and say what big brother tells her and to generally keep out of the way.

[Chittychangchang]

"During her visit to each country, the prime minister had no chance to go anywhere for pleasure. She worked so hard and barely had time to breathe," he said.

She's the bleedin' prime minister for crying out loud, she's not there to have a holiday. Miners work hard, little kids toiling in sweatshops (in Muang Thai) work hard. It gets worse. Stroll on!

As for the 'stupid woman' remark by Hague; well, if Jamieson had have muttered he were a stupid man, would it be such an issue?

A very apt post. YL may " work hard " but unfortunately for her she never projects that image.

She's always on overseas trips, rarely attends parliament, fails to chair committes that she heads and we all know her attitude to questions.

Work hard ! What a joke, her role is to do and say what big brother tells her and to generally keep out of the way.

She is an ambassador for Thailand not a PM.

CCC

[prighas]

The title of this article is so mis-leading. What a waste!

[Tatsujin]

"Abhisit should show that he is a gentleman and take responsibility," a female Pheu Thai MP said.

I think it should be switched around, Yingluck should prove that she is NOT a stupid woman, otherwise his remark is spot on. Oh, she's not here (again).

[boomerangutang]

When are Thai politicians going to get started with trying to assist the Thai populace?

Have you ever tried having even a brief conversation with a Thai VIP? You'll be lucky to get part of one short sentence in, before they're distracted. They have the attention span of kindergarten kids who just ate MSG laden starch (a.k.a. Thai rice).

Even if you try speaking with VIP's or politicians or police/army brass, you can see their heads turning, their eyes glancing all over non-stop. They're always touching their phones and anyone who even coughs in the vicinity, gets a comment from them. In a Buddhist country, one might expect elders might have a modicum of ability to focus, but not here.

A group of Thai U students, studying journalism, tried to get interviews with politicians and VIP's. After making appointments, only two (of nine) VIP's were available for the scheduled interviews, and they were, respectively, 28 and 47 minutes late. The others were no-shows, after making the students wait for around 2 hours each time. Most of the students, being disheartened, gave up with their aspirations of becoming journalists.

[Nooky2]

"During her visit to each country, the prime minister had no chance to go anywhere for pleasure. She worked so hard and barely had time to breathe," he said.

She's the bleedin' prime minister for crying out loud, she's not there to have a holiday. Miners work hard, little kids toiling in sweatshops (in Muang Thai) work hard. It gets worse. Stroll on!

As for the 'stupid woman' remark by Hague; well, if Jamieson had have muttered he were a stupid man, would it be such an issue?

Perfect response.

[chooka]

So it's all the British Farangs fault. Glad the blame has been shifted away from Thais. That was a close one.

[boomerangutang]

Abhisit didn't call the woman 'stupid.' It was a round-about jab. Read the quote in context.

[bangkokrick]

In a democracy everyone has a right to express an opinion. If he thinks Yinluck is a stupid women then he has the right to say it and vice versa.

[jbrain]

Pheu Thai MP Kusumalavatee Sirikomut said in her press release on Thursday that Abhisit's remarks made many people think he referred to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

So what's the uproar about ?

Oh I get it, it's about someone speaking the truth, something unusual in Pheu Thai terms

[GentlemanJim]

Well, a British MP may have apologized in Parliament, but a British MP would also resign if he was caught lying to the people, he would also resign if he was implicated in corruption. So if the Nation would like Thai MP's to behave as British MP's then.........bring it on!

[boomerangutang]

'simulacrum super substantia' (image over substance) should be on the Thai coat of arms.

[Bagwan]

The title of this article is so mis-leading. What a waste!

I agree. It is an example of stupidity at work, but when considered in the context of Thai educational and intellectual standards, it may be considered quite normal.

[Mosha]

"During her visit to each country, the prime minister had no chance to go anywhere for pleasure. She worked so hard and barely had time to breathe," he said.

She's the bleedin' prime minister for crying out loud, she's not there to have a holiday. Miners work hard, little kids toiling in sweatshops (in Muang Thai) work hard. It gets worse. Stroll on!

As for the 'stupid woman' remark by Hague; well, if Jamieson had have muttered he were a stupid man, would it be such an issue?

A very apt post. YL may " work hard " but unfortunately for her she never projects that image.

She's always on overseas trips, rarely attends parliament, fails to chair committes that she heads and we all know her attitude to questions.

Work hard ! What a joke, her role is to do and say what big brother tells her and to generally keep out of the way.

She does exceedingly well at the latter.

[lee b]

well they have to be some stupid ppl in the world

[Kananga]

"During her visit to each country, the prime minister had no chance to go anywhere for pleasure. She worked so hard and barely had time to breathe," he said.

She's the bleedin' prime minister for crying out loud, she's not there to have a holiday. Miners work hard, little kids toiling in sweatshops (in Muang Thai) work hard. It gets worse. Stroll on!

As for the 'stupid woman' remark by Hague; well, if Jamieson had have muttered he were a stupid man, would it be such an issue?

A very apt post. YL may " work hard " but unfortunately for her she never projects that image.

She's always on overseas trips, rarely attends parliament, fails to chair committes that she heads and we all know her attitude to questions.

Work hard ! What a joke, her role is to do and say what big brother tells her and to generally keep out of the way.

Silly farang, you'll never understand. She's promoting 'Thainess' to the world.

[NongKhaiKid]

"During her visit to each country, the prime minister had no chance to go anywhere for pleasure. She worked so hard and barely had time to breathe," he said.

She's the bleedin' prime minister for crying out loud, she's not there to have a holiday. Miners work hard, little kids toiling in sweatshops (in Muang Thai) work hard. It gets worse. Stroll on!

As for the 'stupid woman' remark by Hague; well, if Jamieson had have muttered he were a stupid man, would it be such an issue?

A very apt post. YL may " work hard " but unfortunately for her she never projects that image.

She's always on overseas trips, rarely attends parliament, fails to chair committes that she heads and we all know her attitude to questions.

Work hard ! What a joke, her role is to do and say what big brother tells her and to generally keep out of the way.

Silly farang, you'll never understand. She's promoting 'Thainess' to the world.

Yes you're right of course. I wonder if her Thainess at the Vatican included trying to sell dodgy rice to the Pope and hoping to introduce Buddhism ?

[roger rederer]

This is the most exposure the hapless Abhisit has had since the failure of the street demos of a few weeks ago.

To the Yellow shirt PAD fans on here who see any opportunity to kick Yingluck: She's the democratically elected Prime Minister and her job is to travel abroad as an ambassador. Further; compare her attendance in parliament to, say, David Cameron, and one will find a correlation. Often the only time in one week Dave attends the House is for "Prime Ministers Questions".

Get over it Dems. Save your fury for when Dr T returns in triumph!

[GentlemanJim]

This is the most exposure the hapless Abhisit has had since the failure of the street demos of a few weeks ago.

To the Yellow shirt PAD fans on here who see any opportunity to kick Yingluck: She's the democratically elected Prime Minister and her job is to travel abroad as an ambassador. Further; compare her attendance in parliament to, say, David Cameron, and one will find a correlation. Often the only time in one week Dave attends the House is for "Prime Ministers Questions".

Get over it Dems. Save your fury for when Dr T returns in triumph!

No that is not her job, funnily enough that is why they have Ambassadors AND a Foreign Secretary, but lets not let truth get in the way of a good rant eh!

[NongKhaiKid]

Well, a British MP may have apologized in Parliament, but a British MP would also resign if he was caught lying to the people, he would also resign if he was implicated in corruption. So if the Nation would like Thai MP's to behave as British MP's then.........bring it on!

British MPs are never too far away from scandal themselves but there is an unwritten code of conduct about behaviour, especially when caught, that would never apply here.

I can't imagine many Thai MPs thinking apologies and resignation could ever be the right thing to do, after all they are a " somebody " even if they are the only ones that think so.

[Suradit69]

So it's all the British Farangs fault. Glad the blame has been shifted away from Thais. That was a close one.

Nice change from the usual here. Generally if anything happens anywhere in the world and is reported here, within 3 or 4 posts it's turned into another excuse for Thai bashing no matter how unrelated to the original incident.

[jaidam]

This is the most exposure the hapless Abhisit has had since the failure of the street demos of a few weeks ago.

To the Yellow shirt PAD fans on here who see any opportunity to kick Yingluck: She's the democratically elected Prime Minister and her job is to travel abroad as an ambassador. Further; compare her attendance in parliament to, say, David Cameron, and one will find a correlation. Often the only time in one week Dave attends the House is for "Prime Ministers Questions".

Get over it Dems. Save your fury for when Dr T returns in triumph!

TV posters that criticize the PM are not necessarily "Yellow shirt PAD fans". I have not noticed many/any posters singing the praises of the PAD ever. What you are seeing is a large majority of posters finding it hard to believe that only by having Shinawatra genes can somebody be qualified and suitable to run a country. Simple, but then I suspect you are fully aware of that already. You don't like turkey so therefore you must love pizza. Totally rediculous thought.

[cup-O-coffee]

Women like this want to be equal.

Women like this want to have power.

Women like this want to be recognized

Women like this want to be respected

Women like this want to be treated as equals

Women like this want

The problem only arises when a man utters something they don't like.

Then, for women like this, the rules immediately change, and BOOM! They are delicate, feminine creatures who can be broken with the slightest slight.

If women, when insulted by a man, feel anger or hurt, then they need to recognize that they are in a position of opportunity to demonstrate that they do in fact have equality, power, recognition, respect, and are equal to the task of playing in the big leagues.

Apparently, this woman is not ready, and is merely playing the feminist card. What she should have done is cracked right back at the idiot for making that statement to demonstrate that she has a thick skin. I fear now that her reaction will alienate many helpful resources from her abilities to perform as a politician and get things done. Would you be one of her resources after her spoiled diplay? I know, myself, that were I a man in parliament, or some wealthy doner or lobbyist, that I would avoid her like the plague after an incident like this. She is unreliable. She can't take a hit from one of her peers, and instead gets all feministic when it does happen.

Clear signs of avoidence. Her career is done.

Edited September 14, 2013 by cup-O-coffee

[ggold]

The idea that a TV show for smart women! is somehow going to raise the bar for women in Thailand is laughable. The crab is such a role model for this? Abhisit was right what ever he called her. If anything she has set back the progress for women by her antics. Even if she doesn't go shopping (laughable) where is she during the debates on constitutional change. Which PM of which country goes anywhere when the most important changes to constitution are being debated, where is her leadership in this?

It should be noted that in politics if you can't take the heat then you shouldn't be an MP yet alone a Prime Minister because she really doesn't seem to be doing anything even when she supposedly is doing something!!

[mikemac]

If the people who objected to the remark actually sat down and thought about it, they would realize that they are in fact stupid. All they have done is drawn attention to her intelligence, probably the last thing PTP wants !

Yingluck deserves all the criticism she gets. She had absolutely no political experience when her BB set her up as his puppet PM, and she has shown the world on countless occasions that she is not even fit to be a puppet on a string.

[drdoom6996]

The title of this article is so mis-leading. What a waste!

IMHO calling "The Nation" an newspaper is stupid waste of paper.

[drdoom6996]

If the people who objected to the remark actually sat down and thought about it, they would realize that they are in fact stupid. All they have done is drawn attention to her intelligence, probably the last thing PTP wants !

Yingluck deserves all the criticism she gets. She had absolutely no political experience when her BB set her up as his puppet PM, and she has shown the world on countless occasions that she is not even fit to be a puppet on a string.

My daughter goes to a Thai school by her choosing. The boys call YL "The Puppet" and the girls call her "Pinocchio". She has really made a lasting with the young folk at school here.