KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 14 — Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari today said that Perikatan Nasional (PN) election director Datuk Seri Azmin Ali has belittled and insulted women and the role they play in developing the country.

"He is the PN election director and if this is PN’s stance towards women, there is a large possibility that the fate and role of women in shaping the country’s future will be neglected,” he said in a press statement.

He pointed to the success of women in Malaysian politics, such as the appointment of Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail to the role of deputy prime minister in 2018.

"Not only that but there are also other women who are leaders in their professional fields,” he added.

The constituency of Gombak, which is where he is facing Azmin, needs a candidate that will preserve the dignity of women and empower their role in determining the direction of the country, he said.

Amirudin was replying to Azmin’s defence of Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor, in which the latter disputed the ability of female candidates to become Sik MP, according to the Malaysia Gazette.

Azmin reportedly said that Muhammad Sanusi’s words were misinterpreted because the latter was speaking in the Sik dialect and the issue meant something different to the people of the area.

"Last night, I was with him in Alor Setar and according to his explanation, he did not mean what was reported.

"That was the local language of the Sik community which differs from other local languages and Kedah dialects.

"He is from Sik and lives there, and that’s the language that the Sik people use. It’s not something extraordinary. He did not mean to insult women,” Azmin was quoted as saying.