Why Did Fadhlina Host Taliban Led Delegation Guan Eng Asks

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DAP national chairperson Lim Guan Eng today asked Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek about her confirmation that she hosted officials from the Taliban-led Afghanistan government.
Lim said he was raising the issue not just as a representative of the people, but also as someone who views human rights seriously, particularly those of women’s education.
“Why did the Education Ministry allow such a visit from a country that has no diplomatic relations with Malaysia, and at the same time and more importantly, a country that restricts women from studying in secondary schools and universities?” he told a press conference in Parliament.
He said that Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh, who is also from DAP, was unaware of the delegation’s visit.
Last Saturday (Nov 16), Fadhlina confirmed a visit from the delegation, which had occurred earlier this month and already concluded by then.
According to Free Malaysia Today, the minister said she shared insights on education with the officials.
A report from the Radio Television of Afghanistan said the country’s Education Ministry director-general Shahabuddin Saqib led the delegation.
Did Fadhlina bring up ban on women’s education?
The Bagan MP questioned the benefits of receiving such a delegation in Malaysia.
He also asked if the Malaysian Education Ministry had brought up Afghanistan’s discriminatory ban on education for women beyond primary school.
Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek“And as a woman, a woman who is a minister, I believe that the education minister has concerns about this matter,” he added.
In a statement released in August, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) director-general Audrey Azoulay estimated that at least 1.4 million girls have been denied secondary education in Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
“If we add the girls who were already out of school before the bans were introduced, there are now almost 2.5 million girls in the country deprived of their right to education, representing 80 percent of Afghan school-age girls,” she said.
In March last year, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Malaysia is ready to cooperate and improve its ties with Afghanistan.
However, he asserted that Malaysia stands firm in its commitment to women’s education.
- Mkini

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