An open letter to YB Lim Guan Eng, Chief Minister of Penang.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Malaysiakini letter:

An open letter to YB Lim Guan Eng, Chief Minister of Penang.

Dear YB Lim,

On behalf of the blind in Penang, allow me to express our heartiest congratulations to you on your installation as our new chief minister. Dare we, the blind and other handicapped people of Penang look forward to a better life under the new state government of Penang where are true needs would be better attended to?

Please understand that caring for the blind is more than just making annual donations to the St. Nicholas Home for the Blind because the bulk of the blind (99.999 percent.) live outside of St. Nicholas and receive no help at all.

Apart from the meagre welfare allowance from the federal government which is not even sufficient to meet a quarter of their daily needs, they receive no help, no ang pow. No donations, no nothing. Allow us to present the following reasonable requests for the kind consideration of our new state government:

1. An additional welfare allowance of RM300 to all blind citizens born or residing in Penang who live on their own and who are unemployed. This allowance together with the federal allowance of RM300 will help all blind people and make it easier for them to make ends meet.
As you probably are unaware, 50 years after independence, the plight of the blind has not improved one iota both in terms of employment opportunities and in terms of their welfare. The bulk of the blind today have no steady income and the majority subsist on their meagre federal allowance. There are some who do not even have this.

2. Provide more employment opportunities both in the state government and in the various town councils. Erect more stalls so that the blind, with the help of their families, can earn a decent living. If I'm not mistaken, under the previous state government, only a few blind people were employed in the Penang Municipal Council and none at all in the state government.

3. To lighten their burden, the blind and the handicapped should be exempted from assessment rates. After all, if the previous council could spend millions of dollars on flowers and overseas trips, is it to much to ask for this small concession?

4. Free public transport for the handicap. In 1964, when the late CY Choy was the elected mayor of Penang, he wasted no time in granting free public transport for the blind on city council buses but alas, this privilege was ruthlessly taken away by none other than Koh Tsu Koon, your predecessor.

Free public transport for the blind is an international norm and Malaysia has the dubious distinction of being the only country where the blind have to pay. It wouldn't matter so much if the employment opportunities are good here. In Thailand and Singapore and virtually the world at large, even private companies give free bus transport for the blind - and ungrudgingly mind you. Does this not speak volumes for Malaysia being a unncaring society?

5. Get the various town councils to allocate funds to assist the blind and other handicapped people in the purchase of equipment which are specific to their needs such as braillers for the blind and wheel chairs for the the disabled. This is the practice in the developed West and Penang should follow suit.

Let Penang show the way so that the other states may emulate your good example and make the blind and handicapped feel that they, too, have a place under the malaysian sun. We have been hoping and praying for this day for a long time and may this new era bring hope to the mostmarginalised of the marginalised.

Show that you really care unlike the previous state government which only seemed to care for the wealthy and had little time for the downtrodden. We wish you well in your new endeavours.

Rawang assemblyman goes for rounds on her motorcycle

The Star - Metro - Friday March 28, 2008

Rawang assemblyman goes for rounds on her motorcycle

MY ADUN: By STUART MICHAEL

Gan’s trusted companion: Four years and still going strong.

SHE might be an elected representative of the state, but Rawang assemblyman Gan Pei Nei still prefers to keep it simple in every aspect of her life.

Apart from her new role, everything else remains the same. Transportation for her is still a Modenas Kriss 110cc motorcycle, a trusted companion that she's has had for the past four years.

“I prefer riding a motorcycle as it’s easier to manoeuvre through traffic jams and of course the view is always much better,” said Gan.

During the election, Gan, who used to live in Section 5, travelled daily on her motorcycle to give ceramahs.

“The only inconvenience is when it rains or there is lightning, otherwise it’s a pretty comfortable ride,” said Gan who currently resides in Rawang.

“But I personally feel that riding a motorcycle makes me more approachable to the people here,” said Gan.

The PKR candidate won the state seat with 10,467 votes against BN’s Goh Ai Ling who got 6,275 seats and independent candidate Chandrasegaran Arumugam who secured 704 votes.

She joined PKR in 2004 and headed the PKR service centre in Batu before being asked to set up a PKR branch in Rawang early this year.

StarMetro: How much time to do you spend on the computer?
Gan: Three hours each day.

StarMetro: What kind of music do you listen to? Name a favourite song?
Gan: Sentimental and Jazz, My favourite song is Come Away With Me by Norah Jones.

StarMetro: What do you read? What was the last book you read?.
Gan: Magazines especially the ones on political figures. The last book I read was Hilary to Riceby Yokiko Kishimoto.

StarMetro: How do you stay healthy?
Gan: I swim once a week at Universiti Malaya and play badminton once a week at Subang Jaya. Whenever I am free, I go for jungle trekking at Bukit Gasing.

StarMetro: What languages do you speak?
Gan: Mandarin, Cantonese, English and Bahasa Malaysia

StarMetro: What is the gadget you can’t do without?
Gan: My mobile since it links me to the people and I can surf the net too.

StarMetro: Do you have any pets?
Gan: Not at the moment since I don’t have the time. But I am thinking of getting a dog in the future.

StarMetro: Name a person you look up to and why?
Gan: It has to be Wan Azizah since she’s all about championing people’s right.

StarMetro: Favourite actor and why?
Gan: Stephen Chow because he is a funny actor and most of his movies have good social messages.

Full name: Gan Pei Nei

Age: 27

Marital Status: Single but not available

Hometown: Degree in Mass Communication

Currently residing in: Taman Bersatu in Rawang

Education: Degree in Mass Communication (Universiti Sains Malaysia)

Profession: Full time politician Constituency: Rawang (under the Selayang parliamentary constituency)

Email: peinei_rawang.blogspot.com

Service centre: At 33A Jalan Bersatu 10, Taman Bersatu in Rawang and is open from 9am to 6pm. Gan meets up with the people every Wedneday and Friday from 5pm to 10pm. Gan can also be reached at 03-6093 7033

YB. Gan Pei Nei Visited ILTC on 25th March 2008

YB. Gan Pei Nei (Newly elected State Assemblyman for Rawang) pay a visit to Independent Living & Training Centre (ILTC) on 25th March 2008 at 9.45am.

ILTC members had a warmest welcomed her to the ILTC.

We had long hour of discussion with YB. regarding the future of ILTC progress and the facilities for the disabled and senior citizen and also sharing about a Caring Society when there are no proper caring towards disabled people in Selayang - Malaysia.

As known by everyone, wheelchair users in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor are still left out from the public transport system such as wheelchair friendly. There is no way to move around conveniently in Malaysia.

At the sametimes, we had an opportunity to highlight to YB. about various issues such as Public Transportation on RapidKL Buses, Social Welfare Department - the identification cards issued by the JKM department and other relevent issues that affecting the disabled basic fundamental rights.

YB. Gan promised to the ILTC members that, when there is any problem, she will look at it positively and resolve the matter quickly.

ILTC would like to expect from the State Assembly man Rawang in terms of accessibility to the built environment and other services provided by the local authorities barriers free and safety manner.

We also shared with YB. regarding the disabled act that was passed in the Parliment last year December 2007 the by law of the act.

We hope that the issues faced by disabled people with regards to the accessibility will be given more preference. The new state governments and local authorities have the means to resolve this matter if they are serious about it.

ILTC suggested to YB. Gan that, the disabled people must be involved in all levels of decision making process in the Council on matters that affect them. We hope that, the newly elected Assemblyman will focus seriously take note of the issues for new development and era.