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When sexist labels dull the glow of gold
A doctor’s death cloaked in questions
An ‘Indonesian warning’ for Bersatu leaders
When sexist labels dull the glow of gold
Imagine pouring years of sweat and sacrifice into winning gold for your country, only to see your achievement diminished by the media’s fixation on your appearance. This is the indignity Malaysian mixed doubles badminton champion Toh Ee Wei faced.
When Utusan Malaysia chose to headline her victory with “Tomboy turned world champion”, it struck a nerve. Not because the words were inaccurate, but because they revealed how women’s accomplishments are too often framed through gendered stereotypes.
The paper even highlighted her parents’ recollection that she preferred shorts and T-shirts to skirts as a child, as though her attire was more relevant than the years of discipline and training that propelled her to the top.
This framing doesn’t just trivialise Toh’s triumph. It underscores a deeper problem: how society continues to measure women by how they present themselves, rather than by the heights they achieve.
Nazreen Nizam of the Women’s Aid Organisation, among those who condemned the narrative, stressed that athletes should be celebrated for their skill, discipline, and perseverance — not diminished by sexist labels.
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A doctor’s death cloaked in questions
Nearly two years have passed since 35-year-old Dr Shintumathi Mutusamy took her last breath. Yet despite 28 police reports and two unanswered appeals to the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC), her grieving family refuses to abandon their fight for the truth.
Their lawyers insist that glaring inconsistencies in the case - coupled with “excessive delays” by the authorities - make an inquest not just necessary, but urgent.
A post-mortem report dated Jan 19, 2024, attached with the family’s appeal to the AG, concluded that Shintumathi’s death was caused by “inhalation asphyxia by compressed gas and plastic bag.”
The report noted the presence of an oxygen mask inside the plastic bag, with its air tube running out of the bag and allegedly connected to a compressed gas canister containing nitrogen.
But Shintumathi’s mother, has accused police of failing to conduct a thorough investigation.
In a letter to the Selangor deputy public prosecutor dated Dec 20, 2023, she detailed crucial lapses: investigators did not collect blood or an unidentified yellow liquid found at the scene for analysis; two blood-stained mattresses were never sent for DNA testing; and CCTV footage was only secured from the day after her daughter’s death, ignoring recordings from earlier days.
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An ‘Indonesian warning’ for Bersatu leaders
A Bersatu division leader has sounded the alarm over the protests shaking Indonesia, warning his party to remember what it truly means to serve the people.
The Pengerang Bersatu division chief urged the top leadership to put the people’s welfare ahead of personal ambitions.
Referring to the party’s annual general meeting this weekend, Faizal Asmar cautioned that if delegates continue submitting motions driven by vested interests, critics could accuse the party of losing touch with the grassroots.
“Learn from Indonesia. If political leaders fail to understand the grassroots’ needs, such leaders will be rejected by the people.
“So, don’t put Bersatu in that position,” he said.
Faizal’s reminder comes as a poison pen letter circulates, accusing Bersatu deputy president Hamzah Zainudin of acting as a “broker” behind the creation of the Perikatan Nasional executive council.
The letter further claims that Hamzah fabricated assertions that Muhyiddin had promised to hand over the party’s leadership to him.
While Faizal’s warning was aimed at Bersatu amid the ongoing power struggle, it serves as a stark reminder to all politicians: never take the people for granted.
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Views that matter
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 | By Samirul Ariff Othman |
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