Malaysian Foreign Ministry to impose last century's standards

I nearly fell off my (computer) chair after reading this news:

MINISTRY WANTS WOMEN GOING ABROAD ALONE TO GET FAMILY CONSENT (The Star)

It is understood that there is a plan being proposed by the Foreign Ministry that requires women travelling abroad alone to obtain written consent from recognised authority.

This reverse development news was picked up by UK's Sunday Times and The BBC news because it was that strange, if not shocking - Malaysia, of all places, would want to propose such backward ruling!

WHY? Because women are not capable of making their own decision? What about men, why aren't they required to produce written consent? Are they more sensible than women?!?!

I swear, all the Women Rights groups in Malaysia are now preparing a BIG PROTEST. Even my CPU and keyboard cannot wait to join in this protest. This proposal is even more ridiculous than suggesting that we ought to send a second Angkasawan to space to confirm the space results of the first spaceman (thank goodness the plan was eventually scrapped).

I can see this women must get consent proposal going through the same processes:

MINISTER'S BRAIN ---> MINISTER'S MOUTH ---> NEWSPAPER PUBLICATION ---> RECYCLE BIN ---> and finally...

We have "voted in" a government that are not capable of seeing the social and cultural consequences of their own smart ideas.

Haih. And double haih.