Male entitlement — a plaguing issue that seems to be causing more men to be less in favour of extra privileges for womenfolk such as enhanced safety features in carparks, pink parking spaces and women-only coaches in railway services. According to these men, “privileges” as such do not constitute for gender equality as women are given more benefits here.
With an alarming rise in the number of rape, sexual harassment, abduction and murder cases with women being the victims most of the time, the government’s efforts, albeit insufficient, are indeed crucial in ensuring a safe space for the women out there.
The sense of male entitlement has got to stop, as it’s costing women their lives. With the concept of gender equality being accepted by only a small proportion of men, the safety features implemented for women, surprisingly, have only been developed at the cost of other women’s lives. Yes, this includes, Canny Ong.
Recently, a viral tweet by @MuniraMustaffa, suggested that people have forgotten about Canny Ong’s murder was the reason why we have pink parking spaces. This came as a quote tweet response to prominent author, Hanna Alkaf’s tweet which says, “Before complaining about women-only spaces — parking, train coaches etc — maybe think a little bit about why those things exist and who made them necessary.”
This is indeed true due to the fact that Canny Ong’s murder was a strong reminder that women aren’t safe in Malaysia. For some flashback, the marketing analyst was abducted from a basement car park on 13th June before the perpetrator raped, stabbed, strangled and dumped her in a manhole. He later, returned the following day when he allegedly set fire to the body!
Only her charred remains were found in Old Klang Road and this was a consequence of the lack of lights and safety features in basement car parks. After the incident, local authorities have been directed to get car park managements to install security cameras and ensure that they are monitored round the clock. It literally took the gruesome murder of a woman to ensure the safety of other womenfolk to get protected.
When it comes to the horrible deaths and murder of women, Canny Ong’s murder was definitely not the only case at hand. In 1999, schoolgirl, Audrey Melissa was abducted, raped and murdered at an underpass located in the city, connecting the National Mosque to Dayabumi Complex, which used to be a favourite route for the public.
The Methodist Girls’ School student was also strangled on her way to school. The condition of the underpass was obviously horrible. It was foul-smelling and the lighting and glass windows were found broken or damaged. The CCTVs installed after the case had also gone missing.
Women are often terrorised by men and many are being raped, tortured and murdered for fighting back. This has made womenfolk invest in objects to protect themselves such as pepper spray, penknives or any object that’s proven to be sharp. They are in fear and the least the government could do is to set up policies that make them feel safe.
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