A video of male passengers in a newly implemented women-only carriage on Malaysia’s MRT train has sparked the ire of netizens.
The short video on TikTok showed that men were sitting inside the coach during non-peak hours, despite pink signs clearly stating that it is for women only.
“Can’t blame them… they’re just Ken,” the video’s title read, referring to a song from the hit movie Barbie that attacks toxic masculinity.
It was recorded and posted on TikTok by a user named shueeewenn on September 19, a day after RapidKL introduced a women-only carriage for trains operating on the MRT Kajang line in Kuala Lumpur.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the move was taken in response to concerns from female commuters about the sexual harassment they face on crowded trains.
Located in the center of the train, the women-only carriage is marked with special pink stickers, which are also found on the platforms and doors of the MRT station.
The 13-second video sparked angry reactions from commuters.
“Don’t you feel ashamed?” one commenter asked, while another said they simply “didn’t know how” to read, making a pun on the Barbie song.
“You should just hand them out sanitary pads,” a third commenter said sarcastically.
Some asked what the authorities are doing about this problem.
“Please RapidKL, we have advised you many times (about the same thing),” commenter Ally said.
Muhammad Fuad suggested that fines be imposed on men who board the women-only coach.
“RapidKL and MoT (Ministry of Transport) should propose a fine which will be published in Parliament. Only then will it be easier for the authorities to do their job,” he stated.
Currently there is a penalty for men who board women’s buses.
In a follow-up video from Sept. 20, shueeewenn said an auxiliary police officer was on the bus asking male travelers to leave.
This is not the first time that men have come aboard women-only trainers in Malaysia.
Commuter train operator KTM has a women-only carriage for its KTM Komuter commuter train, which opened on April 28, 2010, but men have been seen in it.
The trainer is indicated with pink stickers on the inside and outside of the trainer, with the words “Ladies Only Trainer.”
Women have been seen scolding men for occupying the bus.
“(There was) one time a group of guys came in and this lady yelled at them to leave because they weren’t listening when she was talking nicely… it was very satisfying,” commenter Qissyna said.
However, some netizens defended the men’s actions.
“To be fair, I (definitely) wouldn’t have realized (he was a women’s only coach),” Kieran said.
Another user, Lixuan, said her brother didn’t realize he was on the female bus until halfway through the trip because “he was too engrossed in his phone.”