The Ladies Coach on the KTM Komuter Service is designed for a reason. It is meant to provide a more comfortable and safe journey for women as well as to also protect them from the risks of sexual harassment in a congested environment. Is it that hard to understand?
A woman recently voiced out her dissatisfaction at male passengers who boarded the Ladies Coach without consideration. What angered her more was that none of the other female passengers stood up with her as she chased the male passengers to the other coaches, as they chose to remain silent throughout the whole situation.
“I hate women who remain silent when their right is taken away. I hate women who do not stand up for themselves and protect their rights. And I hate women who stay rooted to where they are, even though they know the aftermath their silence will bring in the future.”
Titled ‘Aku Benci Perempuan Diam‘ (I Hate Silent Women), this netizen shared her experience on Facebook on February 16. She was on her way back home to Rawang from Shah Alam with a friend, and decided to board the Ladies Coach. There were male passengers on board the designated coach. All 10 male passengers were seated, leaving other female passengers standing; but it did not pose as a problem yet.
Things started to take a serious turn when a mother became uncomfortable to breastfeed her young child on the train. With so many male passengers on board, it was extremely inconvenient and uneasy for her to attend to her young baby who was wailing for milk. The male passengers took no care of the situation, and even tried to sneak a peek at the mother trying to breastfeed her child. Man, are you serious?
“When we reached the Subang Jaya station, I could not take it anymore. There were more male passengers boarding the coach and acted like nothing was wrong. I stepped into the middle of the crowd and told the male passengers to switch to the normal coaches politely.”
Instead of feeling ashamed and moving over to other coaches, the male passengers accused the netizen of being a busybody, and swatted her away with crude remarks. This provoked the netizen even more.
She started raising her voice louder, which successfully attracted the attention of everyone on the coach. “It looked like I was the one starting a fight. But since the situation had turned out this bad, I didn’t care that much anymore,” she wrote.
Source: hiveminer
Finally, the group of four men began moving out after the netizen called them out publicly. Even though she was showered with rude comments by the fellow male passengers on their way out, no women on board was brave enough to fight with her, and only looked at her throughout the whole situation.
“I hate the fact that there was no other women on board who dared to stand with me, to protect a right that has been awarded to us fellow women by KTM. You women allowed the men to curse at me for fighting for a right that is yours as well! Your silence makes them bolder. More men will board the Ladies Coach without feeling guilty as they see their fellow brothers on board. Your ignorance only magnifies the ignorant attitude of these men. So what is the point of having a Ladies Coach when you women don’t protect and defend it? That is the reason why the words ‘Ladies Coach’ and the pink female illustration are not taken seriously by the public.”
The netizen then proceeded to approach another group of men who looked like Bangladeshi nationals seated at the far end. They immediately made their way out of the coach without a word politely.
Once the men were out of sight, the mother earlier on was finally able to breastfeed her young child with ease. The seats that were previously occupied by the men were then taken by other women who were initially standing.
“Throughout the whole journey back home, I was the only one who voiced out whenever there were other men trying to make their way into our coach. However, when we reached the Kuala Lumpur Station, an uncle that was half blind became our hero. He prevented other male passengers from entering our coach by standing at the doors of the Ladies Coach. He even walked from one end to the other end of the coach to chase other male passengers out of the coach.”
Source: facebook
“To you pakcik, thank you hero.”
Her post instantly garnered the attention of local netizens, who praised her for her courageous deed. With the help of netizens, she found the identity of the uncle who came to their help, named Encik Rashid. Apparently, the uncle would always keep the Ladies Coach safe each time he boards the KTM. Kudos, uncle!
Thanks to her now viral post, security police can be seen making rounds in the KTM to ensure there are no male sightings in the Ladies Coach. She thanked the public for making her post go viral, as she did not expect it to blow up so massively.
“Dear ladies, the police and good-hearted men are not Superman, where they can be around to protect you anytime, anywhere. It does not mean we have to be suppressed by inconsiderate people when they are not around. We too, have the ability to protect something. If we are unable to do it for others, at least do it for yourself.”
“Let them call me a woman with low moral values, a liar, a person who gossips and even the person who started the brawl. It is totally fine by me. You are the judge of the world. I promise I know what I am doing. I will protect my own kind within my ability. I have guarded the dignity of a mother who needed to breastfeed her child, and I have no regrets for that. Allah knows my intention and reason behind my rage.”
“Next time when you see something amiss in front of you, just go up and address the issue. That is how we can achieve good etiquette and first class mindset.”
Kudos to this brave netizen for standing up for women’s rights!
Also read: Malaysians Wowed As Man Pays Back RM1 He Owed To KTM More Than 10 Years Ago
