Siti Kasim is a Malaysian human rights lawyer and activist. She came to national prominence with her work within the Human Rights Committee of the

Malaysian Bar The Malaysian Bar () is a professional body which regulates the profession of lawyers in peninsular Malaysia. In Malaysia, there is no distinction between a barrister and a solicitor, in that, it is a fused profession. Membership into the Bar ...

highlighting the issues being faced by the

indigenous peoples There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

of Malaysia. Her work has since grown to encompass defending the rights of other minority and marginalised communities of Malaysia, and championing the ideal of an inclusive and progressive Malaysian society. She has spoken of the criticism and abuse directed at her due to her outspoken and unapologetic demeanour.

Career

Politics

Siti Kasim launched her political career at the 15th general elections of Malaysia as an independent candidate aligned with the Gerak Independent movement. Tracing the root of the malaise within the Malaysian political and social landscape to excessive intertwining of government and religious affairs, she made the separation of state and religion a key pillar of her campaign. She was contesting the parliamentary constituency of Batu against nine other candidates. Siti gained only 653 or 0.75% of the votes, ranking 6th out of the nine candidates contesting the constituency, losing to Prabakaran Parameswaran who won with a majority of 22,241.

Incident

Bomb threat

On 21 July 2023, a suspicious object was discovered on the rear tyre of Siti Kasim's

Toyota Celica The is an automobile produced by Toyota from 1970 until 2006. The Celica name derives from the Latin word ''wikt:coelicus, coelica'' meaning ''heavenly'' or ''celestial''. In Japan, the Celica was exclusive to ''Toyota Corolla Store'' Car deale ...

when she sent the car for servicing.

Brickfields A brickfield is an open site where bricks are made. Place names are often formed from the word. Brickfield, Brickfields, or Brickfielder may also refer to: Australia * Brickfielder, an arid wind * Brickfield Hill, an area of Sydney * Brickfields ...

police chief Assistant Commissioner Amihizam Abdul Shukor confirmed that the object was an

improvised explosive device An improvised explosive device (IED) is a bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional warfare, conventional military action. It may be constructed of conventional military explosives, such as an artillery shell, attached t ...

and an investigation is under way.

Election results

References

1963 births Living people People from Malacca Malaysian people of Malay descent 20th-century Malaysian lawyers 21st-century Malaysian lawyers Malaysian activists {{Malaysia-politician-stub