It’s a sad day for Malaysians everywhere if a woman’s safety is not guaranteed even for their vaccination.
The main priority of Malaysians right now is to get vaccinated ASAP but with all the controversy surrounding the whole process, a few have started expressing their concerns in public. On top of the empty syringe case that has been going viral, a Malaysian woman has come forward with her experience of harassment she faced at a vaccination centre in Johor Bahru.
On 18 July, Facebook user Jaw Keyun went for her vaccination appointment and was nervously going through the necessary procedures as she was already late. She rushed to the entrance when an officer approached her. He asked to see her MySejahtera and IC before chatting it up with her under the guise of “flirting”.
A lewd gesture that traumatised her
Officer: How old are you?
Keyun: 32
Officer: Oh, I thought you were 18.
Officer: Have you been cucuk-ed (poked) before? *gestures with his finger and points it to his nose.
Keyun: No *shakes her head assuming that the officer meant a Covid-19 swab test.
Officer: Do you want me to cucuk you?
Keyun then claimed that the officer made a lewd gesture with his hands, inserting his index finger into his balled-up fist.
Image for illustration purposes only
The officer wasn’t the only one, unfortunately…
As she walked past him, she could hear a few of the officers making comments on her hair. Keyun noted that she was simply wearing a top with slits at her shoulders and didn’t give it much thought to her appearance before.
“He may have been joking but after the “cucuk” comment, I was uncomfortable.”
The rest of the vaccination process went by smoothly but she couldn’t get the incident out of her head. Although she was hesitant to tell her husband at first, she decided to tell him anyway. Her angered husband wanted to turn back around and confront the officer but she was afraid she couldn’t recognise who the suspect was as they were all dressed similarly.
Image for illustration purposes only
When you wear a uniform, you have a responsibility
Speaking to WORLD OF BUZZ, Keyun said her friend encouraged her to make a police report which she did as she thinks this is a serious case of sexual harassment by the PPV officer. She hopes from the report she lodges, an internal investigation will be conducted towards the officer. She added that when you wear a uniform, you need to remember who you are representing, your responsibilities and at the end of the day, it’s not simply a costume.
“Maybe you think that’s ok for a joke between friends but sorry, I’m a stranger to you and that was a formal event under the government national vaccination programme.”
Johor Bahru Selatan District Police Chief, Assistant Commissioner Mohd. Padzli Mohd. Zain said that the case will be investigated thoroughly by the police and they have recorded the victim’s testimony reported Utusan.
Have you faced a similar situation at a PPV? Share with us your experience!
