'Call it out when you see it': Aware criticises treatment of women candidates in GE2025, Singapore News
From objectifying comments online to catcalling in person, this general election has seen a focus on women candidates — with much of it centring not on their policies or ideas, but their physical appearance.
Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) took to Instagram on Thursday (May 1) to slam sexist and racist remarks that have surfaced throughout the campaign period.
The gender advocacy organisation described these actions as "distasteful" and "dangerous".
"A woman on the ballot should not have to face being objectified, degraded and stereotyped," Aware wrote.
"It is insulting and humiliating."
Aware shared multiple screenshots of sexist and racist comments targeting female candidates and the organisation warned that such an environment will only "discourage capable women from stepping forward" in politics in future.
At a Workers' Party rally, loud catcalls of "super chio bu" were heard from the crowd as Punggol GRC candidate Alexis Dang was delivering her speech — drawing attention not to her words, but to her appearance.
Elsewhere, Red Dot United's candidate for Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC, Liyana Dhamirah, spoke out about receiving "racist and sexist" comments online, for which she filed a police report.
Aware also highlighted a YouTube series titled Chio Bu of GE2025, which singled out female candidates such as People's Action Party's Sun Xueling and Bernadette Giam.
"Harassment and discrimination should not be the price of entry into politics for women," the group said.
In the caption, Aware stated that such behaviour reflects deeper issues of entrenched gender and racial bias which only reinforces myths that women are "less capable, less serious, and less competent to represent others".
Reducing women in politics to their appearance "sends a loud message" that their leadership potential is not of importance.
Aware urged Singaporeans to take a stand and "do better" by not engaging in sexist, racist, and harassing behaviour, both online and offline.
"End sexism and racism against women in politics. Call it out when you see it," the group said.
[[nid:717566]]
For our GE2025 microsite, visit here.
amierul@asiaone.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Times
10 hours ago
- Business Times
MAS, SPF to block website access to Octa and XM unlicensed trading platforms from Jun 20
[SINGAPORE] The websites of unlicensed trading platforms Octa and XM will be blocked for Singapore residents with effect from Jun 20, said the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Singapore Police Force in a joint statement on Friday (Jun 6). 'Consumers with active accounts with Octa and XM will not be able to access their websites through Internet Access Service Providers based in Singapore,' the authorities said, noting that information on the platforms' websites constitutes prohibited content under the Internet Code of Practice. The platforms had offered and marketed services – such as trading in foreign exchange on a leveraged basis, commodities, indices and equities – to customers in Singapore without licences, which breached the Securities and Futures Act 2001 (SFA). Section 82 of the SFA states that entities require a capital markets services licence to conduct business in the regulated activity of dealing in capital markets products – which includes securities and leveraged foreign exchange trading. The Octa platform is operated by two entities, Octa Markets and Uni Fin Invest, which were purportedly incorporated in the Union of Comoros and Mauritius, respectively. Meanwhile, the XM platform is operated by XM Global, which was purportedly incorporated in Belize. As the entities operating the two platforms do not hold the requisite licence, they are prohibited from carrying out such businesses, said the MAS and the police. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up This prohibition extends to entities operating outside of Singapore should they solicit or advertise products or services targeting Singapore persons, or if a substantial number of Singaporeans use their products or services, they added. The MAS and the police urged members of the public to deal only with regulated online trading platforms with valid capital markets services licences, which are listed in the MAS Financial Institutions Directory. They highlighted that most unregulated online trading platforms are located outside Singapore and pose a greater risk of fraud as the credibility of their operations cannot be easily verified. 'In addition to being subject to the risk of financial loss, members of the public may face challenges in pursuing claims against operators based overseas,' they warned. 'Online trading platforms may also require payment for trades to be made using credit or debit cards, which gives rise to a further risk of unauthorised card transactions.'
AsiaOne
12 hours ago
- AsiaOne
Gossip mill: Liu Wai Hung to open entertainment complex in Malaysia, officials indicted in late Lee Sun-kyun case, Hong Kong actor with cancer performs to pay bills
Liu Wai Hung to open entertainment complex in Malaysia Hong Kong former actor Liu Wai Hung plans to open an entertainment complex in Malaysia, uniting eateries, karaoke and more under one roof. The 67-year-old, who shot to fame for playing a mainland Chinese immigrant named Ah Chan in the 1979 TVB series The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, left showbiz in the '90s to pivot to running food and agriculture businesses. In a series of recent YouTube videos, Wai Hung announced his upcoming plans to open a food and entertainment complex in Kuala Lumpur spanning 15,000 sqft over four storeys. "There will be a Chinese restaurant on the first floor, with a total of five different VIP rooms, each equipped with karaoke," he shared. The second floor will feature a Western restaurant with a bar and a stage for live performances, while the third will consist of a private dining area with a "VVIP room" for 20 people. The fourth floor will consist of offices. [embed] Earlier this year, Wai Hung used his YouTube channel to share his health concerns, revealing that he had suffered a stroke that affected his left leg and had gout in his right. He added that he was undergoing acupuncture to treat his ailments. Officials indicted in late Lee Sun-kyun case A police officer and a prosecutor were indicted on Thursday (June 5) by the Incheon District Prosecutor's Office for revealing official secrets about the 2023 drug abuse investigation against late Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun. According to South Korean media, the police officer is a man in his 30s from the Incheon Metropolitan Police who is accused of taking photos of an investigation progress report which contained personal information about Sun-kyun and sending it to a reporter on Oct 18, 2023. The reporter, who shared the information, has also been charged with violating the South Korean Personal Information Protection Act. The prosecutor, who worked for the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office, is accused of revealing that Sun-kyun was being investigated for drug charges to another journalist, which resulted in the case being made public on Oct 19. The Parasite actor had undergone three rounds of police interrogations from October 2023 until his suicide that December aged 48. South Korean media was heavily criticised for their sensationalist reporting on Sun-kyun, and celebrities including Parasite director Bong Joon-ho called for an investigation into potential security lapses in the handling of the case. Hong Kong actor with cancer performs to pay bills [embed] Hong Kong actor Peter Pang recently performed at a nightclub in China to raise funds for his medical and daily expenses, despite having been diagnosed with stage three rectal cancer in 2023. In a video posted by the 54-year-old to Xiaohongshu on May 24, fans can be seen holding signs and light sticks outside the venue. Peter also performs Boundless Oceans, Vast Skies by the Hong Kong rock band Beyond to his eager audience. "I am grateful that I can still use this body to perform for everyone and will keep working hard," he captioned the post. Peter recently revealed in an interview with ST Headline that he was struggling financially, having to take a year off work during his recovery. He went through his savings and had to borrow a six-figure sum from friends and relatives to pay medical bills and daily expenses. "It's hard to support (the family) from my wife's salary alone, and the money I borrowed is almost gone," the father-of-three said. "Even if people understand my situation and no one urges me to pay back the money, I don't want to be in debt for so long." SINGAPORE HELPLINES Samaritans of Singapore: 1800-221-4444 Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019 Institute of Mental Health's Mental Health Helpline: 6389-2222 Silver Ribbon: 6386-1928 Tinkle Friend: 1800-274-4788 Community Health Assessment Team: 6493-6500/1 Counselling TOUCHline (Counselling): 1800-377-2252 TOUCH Care Line (for seniors, caregivers): 6804-6555 Care Corner Counselling Centre (Mandarin): 1800-353-5800 Online resources [[nid:718761]] drimac@
Business Times
16 hours ago
- Business Times
MAS, SPF to block website access to unlicensed trading platforms Octa and XM from Jun 20
[SINGAPORE] The websites of unlicensed trading platforms Octa and XM will be blocked for Singapore residents with effect from Jun 20, said the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Singapore Police Force in a joint statement on Friday (Jun 6). 'Consumers with active accounts with Octa and XM will not be able to access their websites through Internet Access Service Providers based in Singapore,' the authorities said, noting that information on the platforms' websites constitutes prohibited content under the Internet Code of Practice. The platforms had offered and marketed services – such as trading in foreign exchange on a leveraged basis, commodities, indices and equities – to customers in Singapore without licences, which breached the Securities and Futures Act 2001 (SFA). Section 82 of the SFA states that entities require a capital markets services licence to conduct business in the regulated activity of dealing in capital markets products – which includes securities and leveraged foreign exchange trading. The Octa platform is operated by two entities, Octa Markets and Uni Fin Invest, which were purportedly incorporated in the Union of Comoros and Mauritius respectively. Meanwhile, the XM platform is operated by XM Global, which was purportedly incorporated in Belize. As the entities operating the two platforms do not hold the requisite licence, they are prohibited from carrying out such businesses, said the MAS and the police. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up This prohibition extends to entities operating outside of Singapore should they solicit or advertise products or services targeting Singapore persons, or if a substantial number of Singaporeans use their products or services, they added. The MAS and the police urged members of the public to deal only with regulated online trading platforms with valid capital markets services licences, which are listed in the MAS Financial Institutions Directory. They highlighted that most unregulated online trading platforms are located outside Singapore and pose a greater risk of fraud as the credibility of their operations cannot be easily verified. 'In addition to being subject to the risk of financial loss, members of the public may face challenges in pursuing claims against operators based overseas,' they warned. 'Online trading platforms may also require payment for trades to be made using credit or debit cards, which gives rise to a further risk of unauthorised card transactions.'
