Do We Have a Rosa Parks in Malaysia?

This gutsy woman who passed away at the ripe age of 92 is considered the person who sparked the civil rights movement in America.


In the USA, everyone is considered equal under the law but that does not mean that there is no discrimination by those who are supposed to uphold the law. But as they still do things like impeaching Presidents and indicting senior officials, the system of law and order there appears to be holding up well.

Malaysia too needs our own Rosa Parks to inspire its citizens to fight draconian laws like the ISA and other laws that restrict freedom of expression like the OSA and printing laws.

If those laws do not seem relevant as most citizens steer clear away from even thinking anti-establishment ideas, how about the following examples:

1. Even if you are a Malaysian citizen, if one of your parents is a non-citizen, you have to submit a special form to the Education Department. How did we allow such an injustice to a citizen to be included in the Education Act?

2. Then there is the case where if you happen to be in the wrong nightclub, you can be held for a few days and only released when the official drugs test turn out negative. One wonders under what quality standards the initial tests are conducted. This is a comparison to what happened to a famous TV personality in Singapore.

We do have a few champions for human rights and the person in mind is Irene Fernandez.
But we need to support such brave people who dare to fight for justice. I am sure that Rosa Parks did not really understand that her simple act of defiance could have made such a big difference.

So parents of Malaysians, are you prepared to defy the Education Department by refusing to submit such a form and then suing the Education Department for discrimination?

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