On Jan 2 this year, my wife went for an interview for the post of an Untrained Substitute Teacher (GSTT) at the Pejabat Pendidikan Daerah (PPD) Hulu Langat. The interview was conducted over several sessions for a few days.

During the interview, among the questions asked included those on general knowledge, educational background and scenario-based questions (incidents that could happen in the school and the actions that ought to be taken).

None of the question asked were on my wife’s health status or more specifically, her pregnancy status. Even the application forms that were filled up before the interview date did not request for this information.

A few days later, on Jan 11, my wife received an SMS from one of the PPD Hulu Langat personnel congratulated my wife for being selected and requesting my wife to take her placement memo from the office the next day. My wife was jubilant on receiving the news.

On Jan 12, after taking the placement memo, there was a short briefing by an officer. My wife was supposed to start work as a GSTT and report for duty at the Kajang High School right after the briefing.

However, at the end of the briefing, the officer requested those who were pregnant, to step forward. My wife and two other women stepped forward. Immediately, their placement memos along with their offer letters was taken back from them.

One of the other two women was already in her eighth month of pregnancy. My wife was devastated. Just because they were pregnant, they were denied the opportunity of being employed.

Imagine how humiliated and disgraced my wife and the other candidates felt. To be told to come forward like as if they have committed a horrendous sin or a criminal act and must be punished without just cause. We did not immediately go straight to the media. We try to plead our case through various channels and agencies.

But to no avail. It was all a dead end. We were the unheard voices and our concerns were taken lightly. My wife was told to call one government department after another. All of them denied responsibility.

My e-mails to the various authorities also did not receive any definitive or positive answer either. We almost lost hope. Almost. We thank our parents from both sides who had been very understanding and supportive of us. They are the one who kept up our morale throughout the ordeal.

Now, I would like for all your readers to ponder on the questions below:

1. Don’t you think it’s too much that these women whom are pregnant have to accept such a disgrace and humiliation? To be called out like a convict criminal and being punished for their pregnancy.

We are a married couple and it’s our God given right to bear children. By common law, there is no objection to having children by marriage.

2. How can the government encourage the private sector to stop discrimination against women when it is happening in the government’s own backyard?

3. My wife was among the few chosen and selected for the post. It also meant that my wife was both qualified and suitable for the post. Why would the PPD Hulu Langat retract the offer?

Should a less qualified and suitable person be selected for the post?

4. The education ministry’s chief secretary had made a statement that this ‘no pregnancy criteria’ was made for the importance of the students. The ministry worries that if a GSTT teacher were to take maternity leave (unpaid by the way according to JPA General Order 17 Chapter C [Leave]), it would affect the learning and teaching process of the students.

What about a permanent teacher who is pregnant and has to take maternity leave? Will the students’ learning and teaching process not be affected by their teacher’s absence? Why are such double standards being implemented?

5. In General Order 17 Chapter C (Leave), a GSTT are not eligible for maternity leave. Why was such a discriminative order ever approved?

6. Under the Labor Act 1995, there is a section for Maternity Protection. However, this seems to be pointless as there is a clause for it being void should the employer choose not to follow it. What the point of such protection then?

I could be writing pages of question for your readers to ponder and think about. But I believe that by now you get my point. Look at this case from a more general view. It is not only about the appointment of GSTTs, it is about the prejudice towards women everywhere in our beloved country.

I know some of you might have experienced this first hand and have simply kept mum about it. If none of you are willing to bring the matter forth, it is going to happen to someone else and it’s going to get worse. This sort of discrimination is happening everywhere in the government agencies and the private sector.

We have tried all the various channels in voicing out our concerns but to no avail. Some of my friends who are politically active were not very supportive either. Instead, I was accused of deliberately blaming everything on the BN government; I was being ungrateful to the BN government, etc.

Let me make it clear again that the issue at hand is not of a political in nature. It crosses all political ideologies. Only one organisation - the NUTP - seemed interested in assisting us but when contacted, my wife was told that they only assist members.

The only sincere assistance we’ve had was from the Wanita PKR chief YB Hajjah Zuraida Kamaruddin and her colleagues. We thank them from the bottoms of our heart. We were even offered legal aid.

I would also like to comment about our ‘beloved’ leaders who spoke so very highly of themselves. They spoke about justice and transparency above all else. They spoke about changes in the country. Well, in this case, I’ve not seen any.

Where are the Umno leaders? Where is Mokhtar Samad, division head of Umno Bandar Tun Razak, whom I might add, refused to even listen to our plea for help.

Where is the so called lioness of Umno, Rafidah Aziz, Wanita Umno Chief and her deputy Sharizat Abdul Jalil? Are they still quarrelling about who should be Wanita Umno chief?

Where is the leader who so proudly brandished a keris at the last Umno general assembly, Hishammuddin Hussein On of the Malaysian ministry of education (MOE)? Your e-mail address is nowhere to be found. How can you be a minister of education when you do not even have an e-mail for communication purposes?

Where is Dr Ng Yen Yen of the women, family and community development ministry whom I believe should be most concerned with regards to this matter? Why does Noriah Kasnon, the deputy minister, dispute my wife’s case in Parliament?

Where is the ever so vigilant Senator T Murugiah, deputy minister in the Prime Minister Office, who is more concerned about the well-being of foreign workers from Bangladesh? Shouldn’t you be more concerned about our complaint?

I believe we have more merits than foreign workers. We are citizen of Malaysia. We demand retribution.

Where are the leaders of Wanita MCA who submitted a memorandum on Feb 23 to the Dewan Rakyat speaker with regards to sexist remarks made amongst the MPs? Shouldn’t Wanita MCA also submit a memorandum with regards to this issue? It is clearly a discrimination against women.

This issue is not political in nature. All leaders should address this issue accordingly as it is a public interest issue. It crosses political ideology, race and religion. Consider this open letter as an outburst towards all parties whom have failed to address this issue even after we have sent countless e-mails to your agencies.

Consider this open letter also as an answer towards all those whom so lightly pass judgment on my wife and me without knowing the exact facts of the incident. Take some time before making such personal remarks. Do unto others as you would like others to do unto you.