Pemandu KTMB diberi amaran

Pemandu KTMB diberi amaran

SUBANG JAYA – Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) memaklumkan sudah mengambil tindakan dengan mengeluarkan amaran kepada seorang kakitangannya yang didakwa mengasari orang kurang upaya (OKU) yang juga penjaga tandas di stesen komuter Subang Jaya, awal Mac lalu.

Dalam satu maklum balas yang dihantar kepada Sinar Harian, Juru Cakap Unit Komunikasi Korporat KTMB memaklumkan, kakitangan yang terbabit dalam insiden itu juga bersedia memohon maaf secara terbuka kepada pengadu sekiranya ia mampu menjernihkan kembali keadaan.

Menurutnya, siasatan awal dijalankan pihaknya berdasarkan aduan dibuat mendapati, serangan fizikal oleh kakitangan yang didakwa pengadu adalah berpunca dari perselisihan faham yang bersifat peribadi antara pengadu dan kakitangan dimaksudkan.

“Seperti yang dimaklumkan sebelum ini pengadu, V Karuppannan, 57, yang sudah hampir 15 tahun bertugas sebagai penjaga tandas mengenali pemandu tren dimaksudkan yang tinggal di kuarters berdekatan stesen sejak tahun 2006.

“Berdasarkan siasatan, krisis yang timbul adalah berpunca dari laluan keluar kuarters tersebut yang terhalang oleh kenderaan anak pengadu,” katanya.

Merujuk kenyataan itu katanya, kakitangan berkenaan tiada niat untuk mengasari pengadu dan reaksi fizikal yang berlaku adalah tidak disengajakan.

“Kakitangan tidak berniat untuk mendatangkan kecederaan dan insiden itu tercetus selepas berlaku perbalahan kecil mengenai laluan keluar yang terhalang.

“Malah, dia (kakitangan dimaksudkan) bersedia untuk bertemu pengadu memohon maaf secara terbuka seandainya perbuatan tersebut boleh menjernihkan keadaan,” katanya.

Beliau berkata, KTM Berhad sudah memaklumkan hal berkenaan kepada Pengerusi Persatuan Badan Latihan dan Hidup Berdikari (ILTC), Francis Siva bagi mendapat persetujuan daripada pihak pengadu.

“KTM Berhad merumuskan bahawa kes adalah bertitik tolak dari salah faham antara dua pihak dan tiada unsur jenayah dan penindasan yang wujud.

“Walaupun begitu, kami memberi amaran kepada kakitangan dimaksudkan supaya perkara sama tidak berulang.

:“Pihak kami juga sekali lagi menekankan bahawa apa yang berlaku adalah bersifat peribadi dan ia tidak mencerminkan organisasi ini secara keselu- ruhan,” katanya yang memberitahu mereka yang tergolong sebagai OKU tidak perlu khuatir menggunakan perkhidmatan kerana layanan diberi sama rata.

Terdahulu, akhbar ini melaporkan disebabkan salah seorang rakan mereka dikasari kakitangan syarikat pengangkutan, kira-kira 15 golongan OKU mengadakan piket secara aman 9 Mac lalu menggesa pihak berkenaan mengambil tindakan kepada individu yang didakwa melakukan perbuatan itu di stesen komuter Subang Jaya.

Selain ditampar, OKU yang bekerja sebagai penjaga tandas mendakwa ditendang sehingga menyebabkan dia bersama kerusi roda digunakan hampir tersungkur ke atas lantai.

Mangsa dalam laporan itu mendakwa, kejadian itu bukan kali pertama berlaku, malah dia pernah beberapa kali dimarahi kakitangan yang sama sejak tiga tahun lalu.

Bumpy ride

Thursday March 18, 2010



Bumpy ride
Airport encounters that call for an attitude change.

STANISLAUS Anthony, 60, and his wife Janet, 53, were overjoyed last month when their son surprised them with a trip to India. Joachim, 26, paid for his parents’ 10-day pilgrimage to a healing centre in Kerala in South India. Joachim decided to accompany his parents since they are persons with disabilities.

Stanislaus became disabled 12 years ago after he underwent a hip replacement sur­­gery. Although he is able to walk, he can only do so for very short distances. He tires easily and the pain in his left leg is often excrucia­ting. When this happens, he uses a wheelchair.

Janet, on the other hand, has been diagnosed with muscular dystrophy.

The couple and their son joined a crowd of 5,000 pilgrims at the centre. It was an experience of a lifetime for the trio.

I caught up with Stanislaus and Janet when they returned to Petaling Jaya a couple of weeks ago. Instead of telling me about the difficulties they encountered as disabled persons in a foreign land, they couldn’t stop telling me about the many problems they had to overcome before even leaving Malaysia.

When Joachim booked the flight online, he recalled ticking a box on the form to indicate “Disabled (passenger)”. No further questions were asked about the disability status.

So the eager retirees thought that all their accessibility needs would be looked into when they arrived at the airport.

When Stanislaus reached the Sepang air­­port, he was shocked to find that the only disabled parking spot next to the building entrance was occupied by a car belonging to a non-disabled driver.

He had no choice but to park his specially-adapted car next to the offending vehicle.

Then came the second upset. Despite the numerous stickers on his car clearly indica­ting that he was a disabled driver, he was promptly served with a summons. The real offender, meanwhile, got away scot-free.

However, this was nothing compared to the nightmare that was yet to come. The disabled couple were made to climb up a flight of stairs before they could board the aircraft. The ambulift – a specially designed contraption to lift wheelchairs into the aeroplane – was out of order, they were told.

After the rest of the passengers had boarded the plane, it was their turn. Stanislaus has had frequent hip dislocations over the past year. He was terrified as he took each step up the stairs. Janet was on tenterhooks, too.

Once inside the plane, the couple had to walk almost halfway across the length of the plane to get to their seats. Stanislaus won­­­­­­­der­ed why the airline had not made things easier for them and changed their seats to one of the front rows instead. Only on their return trip were they given front-row seats.

The couple also raised a few points:

> The staff were ill-advised on how to help disabled travellers. When the couple were struggling up the steps leading to the aircraft, there were only two small-sized women and one man on standby in case of emergency.

> Although there was an express lane for disabled/elderly passengers at the airport in India, none existed in the Sepang airport.

> The ambulift was still under repair when the couple returned from India. The wheelchair provided by the airport in Sepang had wheels that wobbled. Stanislaus was charged RM15 for the use of the wheelchair and no receipt was issued. In India, the wheelchair service was free.

“All this clearly calls for an attitude change from the airline and the airport authorities if they want everyone to fly,” said Stanislaus

Update: Norani Bt. Hj. Mohd Hashim, Pengarah, Jabatan Pembangunan Orang Kurang Upaya Was Written In Response Letter To The ILTC