"We Are Malaysian" — Boys Harass 72-Year-Old Retired Teacher In Women-Only KTM Coach
The woman's daughter questioned if her mother had no right to speak up because she's Australian.
By Sadho Ram — 02 Sep 2024, 04:08 PM
A 72-year-old Australian woman, who has lived in Malaysia for over five decades, was allegedly harassed and intimidated by a group of boys in the women's-only coach of a KTM Komuter train on 31 August
According to the woman's Malaysian daughter Sheahnee Iman Lee, a former Media Prima newscaster, she noticed the group of boys inside the women's coach after boarding the train in Klang.
Taking to Instagram, Sheahnee shared that her mother, a retired school teacher with 40 years of service, was verbally harassed by the boys after she reminded them they were in a women-only coach.
This led to an aggressive response, where they asserted their nationality and ownership of the country.
"'We are Malaysians!' and 'This is MY country!'. [They] took videos of her and then got more of their rowdy friends to fill up the coach, much to the worry of my mother and the other few ladies inside," read her post.
In her post, Sheahnee questioned whether her mother's right to speak up was being denied due to her being Australian and skin colour.
She lamented that 67 years since independence, Malaysian society has failed to grow as a people and has become more intolerant.
“Just because my mum’s skin colour doesn’t meet your standards, she has no right to speak up? And just because you’re Malaysian, you think you have the right to do whatever you wish?" she questioned.
Sheahnee highlighted her mother’s lifelong dedication to Malaysia, noting her contributions to education and local sports development, and that she had taught a large number of Malaysian royalty and politicians.
This has been her home longer than these 'kurang ajar' boys' parents have been alive.
Sheahnee stressed that her mother has witnessed the best and worst of Malaysia since its independence: while she has seen the nation's skyline grow taller and more magnificent, she has also observed how mindsets have narrowed and become more intolerant.
She then lamented that we, as Malaysians, must do better.
In the photos and videos taken by the woman inside the women's-only coach, the boys were seen arrogantly posing and flashing signs
Sheahnee later updated her post to share that KTM reached out to her, showing empathy and openness to her feedback
According to her, KTM informed her that there are intercom buttons on all trains, which passengers can press to request help in the event of an incident or emergency.
In case of emergencies, the public can also use the KTM intercom or call 03-2263-1194.
However, Sheahnee expressed her concern to KTM that during such incidents, where a woman is outnumbered by a large group of males, trying to reach an intercom could be difficult or even provoke them.
Following the incident, FMT reported that KTM is working to implement legislations in order to safeguard its women-only coaches
"Our auxiliary police at stations are being mobilised more often to ensure that men do not encroach on women-only coaches. Other than our constant surveillance efforts, we would like to call on the public to assist us in reminding each other about the importance of such coaches," the rail operator said.
Earlier in August, Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced that the government is drafting legislation aimed at imposing fines on men who enter women-only train coaches.
