Day 8.
Well done, well done.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I stand before you today to honour a version of myself who fought hard and bravely. It was a version whom I had carried for over 7 years throughout my twenties to thirties, across multiple continents. She was haunted and harassed by a sick human. For so long she denied this fight. I’ve stayed up with her through so many nights, sweltering in rage and helplessness. I have seen her cry and hurt herself. Some of my darkest hours in this life are the ones she has gone through. It was in no choice, and no fault, of her own.
On July 2023, in a moment of despair and desperation, she published her story publicly. The case was covered by media on both sides of the globe, as well as neighbouring countries. As you all know, by now, that story has since impacted the Malaysian Law, putting into motion Section 705A of the Penal Code that lists stalking and harassment as a punishable offence. By January 2024, the criminal was institutionalised. In the wake of this event, multiple victims have stepped forward with their own experiences. We have still a long way to go with the implementation of this law, but it is going.
I am not here to expound on facts and timelines, or the details publicly shared. Today I am here to honour the private struggles. In the years since, my girl became a shadow of herself. She was riddled with insecurity, self-doubt, and lack of conviction. Those who know her, are aware that she is in fact, a victor. She is strong through and through. She is loved. She is capable. She has made such an impact on all of us. Undeniably, the compound of her experiences with that harassment has altered her. Today, I say it is for the better. In order to move forward, we have to make peace with the past. I accept it, and I fully acknowledge it.
Sha, I thank you. I see you. I know you. I know how much you hated that misery and desperation. How you had to smile and be palatable for it to not be too desperate and pitiful. How strongly you held it together through those excruciating months, crying next to your family on holiday, crying outside KLCC during festival work, crying in a witch doctor’s toilet in the middle of the city. I have felt your fists clench in fury. I have felt your spirit break. I know how much you hated the situation. The system. Your social standing. I feel you.
Yet I also know how much you did not hate him as a person. Your capacity for grace and kindness has surpassed anything I’ve been able to fathom. Through it all you have remained, outwardly, intact and calm - barring vitriol words thrown at the police, and ugly messages to him and to several other parties. But we are all human, yes? Your ability to mentally separate yourself from the process, to get things done, is both your strongest suit and your wildest card. You have done such a good job of burying your emotions that today we have to stand and rebury it properly.
Look closely at her. It is not even you, now, this body of yours. It was simply an amalgamation of emotions that you hated to experience: shame, anger, hurt, disrespect. I am sorry that you had to go through all that, and reveal all that, so publicly. But Sha, look, acknowledge that the fact that you revealed those emotions, the fact that you have declared them out loud - led to so many beautiful things. It led to freedom. To your dream projects. To living at peace in London. To a newfound confidence untethered to your past. You are now absolutely free to re-carve your own story and press forward. When you look back at this in two years, I hope you remember feeling jubilant, content, fulfilled, and accomplished.
Ladies and gentlemen, I turn to you again and request you all to stand up. Give ourselves an outstanding round of applause for this extremely distinguished lady. She has done so well. So so well. And I know she will only continue to do better. Thank you again, and more than anything, my love..
Well done.
Well done.
———
On stage, she stands in a pearlescent light blue gown, carrying an enormous bouquet of flowers. The casket carrying the ghost has emptied, save a few glowing debris of the emotions she had had to unearth. Through the speakers, an uplifting orchestra of Go The Distance flows through the gilded hall.
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