I WAS informed of the demise of Puan Nurashikin Mohd Yusof, a former president of the Transport Workers Union (TWU), on Dec 24. She was 89 years old and is survived by relatives and friends – her husband and only son passed on in 2006 and 2009, respectively. I am sure not many readers would know her name and might wonder why she is deserving of a tribute.
She was a ticket conductor working with a bus company in Penang when she became involved with the Transport Workers Union (TWU) that was helmed at the time by V. David and Zainal Rampak. From that humble job, Puan Nurashikin ascended to the top to lead the TWU in the 1970s. That was a remarkable feat considering that the transportation sector was male dominated then. To the best of my knowledge she was the first, and only, woman to be elected to lead a national trade union then.
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