Observes Marina Mahathir

Staff Correspondent

Marina Mahathir, human-rights activist and daughter of Malaysia's former prime minister Mahathir Mohammad, said Monday that she was not tempted to follow in her father's footsteps and go into politics.

"I do not think politics is the only way to do things for your country," she said in a press conference at the Daily Amader Shomoy offices.

She nevertheless portrayed herself as a 'strong observer' of Malaysian politics.

Marina, who is also a journalist, arrived in Dhaka on Sunday to attend a conference on media and gender equity organised by Bangladesh Centre for Development, Journalism and Communication in collaboration with UNAIDS and the Asian University for Women.

She also met foreign adviser Ifthekhar Ahmed Chowdhury before paying a visit to the National Press Club on Monday.

Marina, best known for her work in support of HIV/AIDS awareness, is also scheduled to visit health, education and microcredit projects run by Grameen Bank and BRAC during her six-day stay.

Speaking on HIV/AIDS, she told the press it is quite difficult to run such campaigns in a Muslim country.

"We had to formulate a new 'Muslim Approach' in Malaysia," she said, stressing the importance of involving religious leaders in campaigns on such sensitive issues.

Emphasising women's empowerment as the key tool for development, she said it was a 'basic essential' for society as there is no other way to protect women's rights.

Defining 'freedom of women', Marina said to her it meant a woman being able to make her own choices. "Not someone else makes the choice for a woman."

Replying to reporters' queries on the current state of Malaysian politics, she said people were not satisfied with the government which has been reflected in the results of the last polls.

"It has never happened in my country that the five states are ruled by different governments other than the federal one," she added.

The daughter of the former Malaysian premier also said she thought people were a bit confused with the current government as her country had the same government for almost 50 years.

Marina's programmes, aired on Malaysian Television, have earned national and international awards since 2000. She is also one of the most influential bloggers in Malaysia.

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