Assoc Prof Lim Tit Meng is not the first high-ranking official or public personality to be caught in controversy over their seemingly sexist views or comments.
In 2011, during the election campaign in Hougang SMC, the candidate for the People’s Action Party (PAP) also received brickbats for his remarks about women.
“If your wife is unable to cook, there’s no point. You must choose a wife who is able to do things for you,” Mr Desmond Choo, the PAP candidate, said at a rally, recounting a meeting with an elderly Hougang resident who told him that choosing an MP is like choosing a wife.
Mr Choo later told the media that his remarks were “quoted out of context”, that his remarks were not meant to be sexist, and that he has always believed in gender equality.
Mr Choo was nominated for the inaugural Alamak Award in 2011 – but he didn’t win.
In the 2012 edition of the awards, two of the four presidential candidates – Tan Cheng Bock and Tan Jee Say – were joint-winners.
While running for President, both managed to find words to annoy half the electorate.
“I would like to go back to the days when women can afford to be housewives,” Mr Tan Jee Say said, when asked about his views on the Baby Bonus.
When asked how to encourage female participation in politics, Dr Tan Cheng Bock replied:
“The political arena is a difficult area for women in Singapore because the commitment is really very heavy. So you got to get the permission of your husband.”
Read more at: Science Centre CEO in hot soup over sexist remarks
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