On Saturday (31 Aug), a former Malaysian TV presenter, Sheahnee Iman Lee, took to her Instagram to post a story about a group of boys who harassed her 72-year-old Australian mother in the women-only carriage of a KTM train.
Her mother, who has been living in Malaysia for 50 years, was on a train from Klang to Kuala Lumpur. When she moved to a women-only coach, she noticed a group of boys outnumbering the women there.
The retired school teacher with 40 years of service reminded the youths that they were in the women-only coach, pointing out the English and Bahasa Melayu signs indicating the carriage restrictions.
Source: @sheahnee on Instagram
However, the boys started verbally harassing her, rudely responding: “We are Malaysian!” and ” This is my country!”
They reportedly recorded videos of her and invited more “rowdy” friends to fill the coach, to the increasing concern of her mother and the other female passengers.
In her Instagram post, which is a series of slides detailing the incident, Ms Sheahnee questioned whether her mother was denied the right to speak up due to her being Australian.
“Just because my Mum’s skin colour doesn’t meet your acceptable standards, she has no right to speak up?”
She highlighted that Malaysia has been her mother’s home, choosing to stay in the country for most of her life.
This is my mother’s home too.
She added that her mother “had devoted time and effort” to being a teacher for 40 years and raising two Malaysians, her and her brother.
“This has been her home longer than these kurang ajar boys’ parents have been alive,” she added.
She also mentioned that her mother has seen the best and worst of the country since its independence.
“She’s watched as Malaysia’s skyline has grown taller and more magnificent, but also as mindsets have narrowed & become more intolerant,” Ms Sheahnee remarked.
Ms Sheahnee noted that this incident had occurred during the Independence Day of the country, which she said is “usually a happy and celebratory day for me”. However, she said that her mother’s unpleasant encounter “did not make me feel very proud or patriotic at all”.
She urged Malaysians to do better.
“It may be a small thing to you, but when we raise kids who have no respect for elders, no respect for women, and no respect for rules, I wonder whether this next generation of Malaysians will either build or tear down our hard-fought nation,” she said.
Source: @sheahnee on Instagram
She shared that her mother was more Malaysian than many Malaysian folks in the country despite her being white.
After 67 years, I hope more of us can start to see beyond colour and focus more on our values, attitudes, mindsets, and hearts.
The post was accompanied by a video clip and a photo of the boys crowding the carriage, seemingly unfazed by the sign showing that the space is meant only for women and almost filling up the entire carriage.
“I considered blurring out their faces because some may be minors, but look at how proud and arrogant they are while they pose for my Mum’s camera!” she wrote in the caption.
Ms Sheahnee later updated her post, saying that KTM had reached out to her personally and responded to her report in an empathetic and receptive manner.
She mentioned that KTM informed her that each train provides an intercom button and an auxiliary police number for emergencies, with the driver available to assist in urgent situations.
However, she remarked that reaching an intercom could be difficult during such a situation, so she suggested implementing random and regular spot checks in trains and stations “to ensure the women-only coach serves its purpose”.
“While it may be some time before Mum feels safe enough to ride the train again, I thank KTM for reaching out and hope they only get better from here,” she added.
Also read: Man shouts vulgarities at another man in MRT train from Bugis, staff help separate them
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Featured image adapted from @sheahnee on Instagram
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