| Traditionally, society tends to look to the West as the champion of women's rights and female empowerment. However, here in Southeast Asia, we don’t have to look too far to see how women impact communities.
She later made history by becoming the first and only woman member of the Legislative Council prior to independence and founded the Singapore School for the Blind. A lawyer by training, she played a pivotal role in pushing for legislation to ensure equality for women, and later founded a policy research centre to analyze socio-economic and political issues impacting women's lives.Shamsiah Fakeh was a leader in the independence movement among a group of Malay women who fought persistently right into the jungles of Malaya.
She and her family finally returned to Malaysia on July 23, 1994 after the Peace Accords between the MCP and the Malaysian and Thai governments were signed in Haadyai, Thailand, in 1989. Upon her return home, she lived a moderate life in her old age with her children and grandchildren. Our country has a rich history having been colonised by many Western powers like the Portuguese, Dutch and British. But the one historical event that can never be forgotten is the Japanese invasion.