CHICKENS have probably been off the menu in the past week for the Legislative Councillor, Mr Chim Pui-chung, after his indiscreet remarks comparing women to the domestic fowl.
He asserted in a television talk show last Thursday that all women were ''chickens''. The expression goes beyond its normal English meaning of coward and denotes prostitutes in Cantonese.
This was not the first time that the representative of the financial services constituency had made such an offensive comment. But this time he's unlikely to get away with it. .
A father of two, Mr Chim first made his stunning observation in an interview with the popular weekly, Next Magazine, last November. He was quoted as saying: ''Out of 10 men, all 10 are sex-minded. Out of 10 women, all 10 are hens. There is only a difference between those reserved for private use and those ready for public consumption.'' He further declared that both his wife and his mother fell into the first category. He then went on to say that he would not have existed, if his mother was not a chicken for private use. That story raised a few eyebrows, but nobody seemed really bothered about it.
In an ATV talk show a week ago, he was given an opportunity to apologise for his distasteful statement. Mr Chim, however, stood by his words and maintained he had not done anything wrong.
This unyielding move has set several women's groups into action, accusing him of discrimination and sexual harassment. The media has also reacted with a barrage of criticism.