Special meetings

Thursday February 25, 2010

Special meetings

The disabled and the elderly in Selangor can look forward to brighter days ahead.

POSITIVE changes continue to unfold for people with disabilities in Selangor. Two significant developments transpired last week which can only improve the quality of lives of Malaysians with disabilities.

The first was a special meeting with a group of physically disabled persons that was held at the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS). I was there, too.

We went there on the invitation of the local council. The purpose was to form a special committee on disability under the MPS.

We were thrilled with the people who met us. They were officers with the capacity to bring about big changes for the handicapped and elderly in town. Those who met us were key representatives from the engineering, planning and building departments of the MPS.

It was a fruitful discussion. At the meeting, it was decided that they would first identify a select group of experts with disabilities to sit in the committee that will meet once a month.

This is similar to what is being done by the Petaling Jaya City Council’s (MBPJ) technical committee on disability, of which I serve as chairman.

The experts, apart from persons with physical disabilities, will include the blind, the Deaf and those with learning disabilities or their representatives.

Whenever possible, stroke patients and those with Parkinson’s disease, mental illness, etc, will be included. The aim of including persons with a wide variety of disabilities is to enable others to learn from their unique experiences and see things from their perspective. People without disabilities are often unfamiliar with the challenges facing the disabled. No textbook in the world can provide such invaluable feedback.

At the MPS meeting, we started our task of creating a disabled-friendly society by examining the local council’s headquarters building.

Next week, a group of disabled people and technical experts from the MPS will comb their building to look out for problem areas and make the necessary changes.

These will be documented and presented to the first OKU (orang kurang upaya or disabled) technical meeting before we venture out into town to look at other buildings.

All of us realised that we had a big task before us. However, we came to the conclusion that such an initiative was important to bring about much-needed changes for the special communities.

These were the same sentiments that were reached at another meeting of 12 local councils in Selangor. This meeting was held the following day at the MBPJ headquarters.

The key players from the planning, engineering, and building departments were asked to focus on collectively building a better world for the physically challenged.

The response was tremendous. Although not many of them took the opportunity to speak, they listened attentively to everything we had to say.

The meeting was jointly chaired by MBPJ’s head of planning Puan Sharipah Marhaini and myself.

We shared our many successes and dreams since we started our special committee on disability.

These included coming up with covered parking lots for the handicapped and a revised up-to-date toilet design with more disabled-friendly features which all new buildings must comply with in Petaling Jaya. Otherwise, no approval will be given for their projects.

We also talked about our personal visits to homes for the elderly and disabled to ensure that they have user-friendly facilities for the residents there.

Our visits uncovered some alarming facts. A few of the homes and centres did not provide such facilities even though they have residents who use wheelchairs and walking sticks.

Marhaini pointed out that such on-the-ground visits served as an eye-opening experience for her.

“What may look good on paper may be a different story in real life,” she said, as she encouraged her colleagues to take a more proactive approach to such issues.

The highlight of the meeting was a pertinent point made by a town planner of a local council. She suggested that in addition to MBPJ – and now MPS – the rest of the 10 councils should follow suit and set up their own technical committees on disability.

However, she pointed out that it was not always practical to expect such a move to come about from the bottom up.

She added that some of us may lack motivation or a sense of urgency. So a more effective approach would be for the local councils to get a directive from the top. I couldn’t agree more.

RM450,000 ang pow for 45 organisations

Saturday February 20, 2010


RM450,000 ang pow for 45 organisations
By VISHALENE SIVARAMAN

THE prayers of many charity organisations were answered recently when Genting (M) Berhad donated RM450,000 to 45 organisations.

The Festive Season Contribution ceremony was held in conjunction with Genting Group’s 45th anniversary and the Chinese New Year celebration at Wisma Genting in Kuala Lumpur.

The ceremony was attended by representatives of the organisations, including orphanages, welfare homes and training centres for the disabled.

Starting the year with kindness: Lee (standing sixth from right) and Genting Berhad executive director Tan Sri Mohd Amin Osman with representatives of 45 charitable organisations

Genting president and chief operating officer Datuk Lee Choong Yan said: “Challenges faced by the society should not be borne by the nation or government alone.”

Lee believes the current challenging economic situation makes it even more crucial for corporations to help uplift the poor.

Nancy Clemons, who is co-founder of Trinity Children’s Home, described the donation as “God’s gift” especially during the beginning of the year when they were hard-pressed for funds for the children’s schooling expenses.

Datuk Dr Lam Peng Chong of the Spastic Children’s Association of Selangor & Federal Territory said he was glad to receive the donation.

“With this fund, we hope to increase therapy sessions as a way to empower our younger charges,” Dr Lam said.

MBPJ reaches out to help the disabled

Saturday February 20, 2010


MBPJ reaches out to help the disabled
By TAN KARR WEI

MALAYSIA would move towards having more barrier-free places only when local authorities start taking the initiative, Petaling Jaya city councillor Anthony Thanasayan said.

Thanasayan, who also chairs the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) OKU (disabled people) technical committee, said the council had been making headway in turning Petaling Jaya into a barrier-free city.

“Before this, the disabled community did not even have a platform to voice our concerns. Now, we have a technical committee that is working closely with the town planning department to make Petaling Jaya more accessible.

“One thing that we realised was that Malaysians won’t change their attitudes if the local councils do not implement guidelines for barrier-free accessibility,” Thanasayan said.
Big plans: Sharipah (left) looking at the brochure with Thanasayan (second from left) as Petpositive committee member Antony Leopold and Independent Living and Training Centre president Francis Siva (right) also have a closer look at it.

He added that there had been a lot of changes in MBPJ including the introduction of universal designs for facilities.

MBPJ town planning director Sharipah Marhaini Syed Ali said the council had organised several workshops to discuss the technical guidelines and had even invited representatives from the other local councils in Selangor to take part.

Sharipah said the participation from the private sector was much needed to make Petaling Jaya barrier-free.

“We will ensure that developers of new projects would follow the guidelines. Our engineering department is also aware that they too need people with technical know-how for MBPJ’s own projects,” she said.

She said the council was also working on area-based projects to put in place facilities in stages and would try to have a more integrated approach between the various departments like engineering and landscaping.

So far, some of the areas that have been upgraded and equipped with disabled-friendly facilities like tactile blocks and ramps are Section 52, SS2, Jalan Gasing, PJS5 and PJS6.

“We would also be coming up with a technical guideline for Section 13, which will be turned into a commercial area,” she said.

She said for areas like PJS5 and PJS6 which had to undergo upgrading work anyway, it would cost an additional 10 to 20% more to upgrade to disabled-friendly facilities.

Thanasayan also lauded the MBPJ for printing a brochure that listed the services provided by the council for the disabled like the OKU Transit and OKU parking stickers.

There were also several activities like workshops and seminars lined up for the year.

The brochures would be available at the MBPJ headquarters in Jalan Yong Shook Lin and would also be distributed through the state Social Welfare Department (JKM).

Good reasons not to mess with nature

Good reasons not to mess with nature

Good and bad

Thursday February 11, 2010

Good and bad

Klang has seen positive change over the years but the attitudes of its people still need adjustment.

MY job as city councillor and president of Petpositive – a society for the disabled and the elderly – took me to several destinations in the Klang Valley last week.

A couple of trips to the royal town of Klang where I was born, brought back memories of my growing-up days.

Those were difficult days for me. Although I was born with spina bifida, I was only unable to walk at the age of 10 after a botched surgery which put me in a wheelchair.

I was confined to my house due to the lack of disabled-friendly facilities in my hometown. I had to stop schooling and spent my teenage and adult life within the confines of my home.

I am happy to see how much Klang has changed over the years. I am delighted to see so many well-placed parking lots for disabled drivers. Such facilities will encourage more disabled and elderly persons to come out and mingle with the rest of society.

But alas! I saw some of the disabled parking lots being used by able-bodied drivers, depriving the handicapped of their rights.

I wonder what measures the Klang authorities (MPK) are taking to rectify the situation. Is the public relations department conducting awareness campaigns for all drivers in Klang? What about imposing stiff fines for drivers who abuse facilities for the disabled?

Things became more confusing when I visited the MPK headquarters. There were only two parking lots for the disabled, and these were occupied by a bus and a trooper belonging to the local government.

Such “leadership by example” is probably the reason why the rest of the Klang folk refuse to take the rights of disabled seriously.

I attended a meeting in Petaling Jaya last week in which the heads of the Engineering, Planning, Building and Landscape departments came together for the first time to coordinate efforts to make PJ more friendly to all persons.

The committee’s top priority is to ensure pavements in the city which can be used by everyone, including the disabled, the elderly, and mothers with prams.

All the department directors in the PJ City Council have pledged to give top priority to disabled-friendly facilities. This means that all pavements that are currently being upgraded in the city will include disabled-friendly designs.

Residents living in PJS 5 and PJS 6 would have noticed that the pavements outside their houses have been fitted with guiding blocks for the blind and kerb cuts and ramps for wheelchairs, prams and people with walking aids.

Lastly, more than a dozen persons who used wheelchairs and walking sticks turned up for a meeting at a well-known hotel last week.

They ended up having to control their bladders and bowels for more than three hours as the hotel was not wheelchair-friendly.

There was a step leading to the restroom. The doors were too heavy to be opened or closed by the disabled. The cubicle to the water closet was not roomy enough for a wheelchair.

Not being able to access the washrooms was torturous for the disabled as there was a free flow of beverages and snacks throughout the meeting.

A participant who was paralysed from the neck down developed a tummy upset which led to an unpleasant situation for him and his helper.

What was shocking was that the event was specially organised for the disabled, by the Government.

We were happy to receive an apology when we brought the matter to the attention of the authorities. But frankly, we are tired of repeating ourselves, especially on an issue that is so basic to all of us.

ILTC IN ACTION

ILTC IN ACTION - DUE TO HUMILIATED AND EMBARRASSMENT TOWARDS ILTC'S EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBER BY JKM OFFICER MS. JAYAMALAR D/O JAGANATH

Last on 4th February 2010 YB. Dato' Meme Zainal Rashid (Ketua Pengarah JKM) from the Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat Malaysia had organized a serious meeting with Independent Living & Training Centre (ILTC) on regards humiliated and disgraced Mr. Honasekaran (ILTC Executive Committee Member) by Ms. Jayamalar D/O Jaganathan Pegawai Pembangunan Masyarakat (Bahagian Pembangunan Komuniti) JKM Selangor during the holding a celebration in conjunction with International Disabled Person's Day on December 5, 2009 at Komplex MAB in Brickfields Kuala Lumpur orgainized by The Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development.

The meeting was attended by President Mr. Francis Siva, Secretary Ms Rina and Mr. Anthony Thanasayan (Petpositive).Committee & Ordinary Members who were also present at the meeting were Ms. Jesinda, Mr. Munusamy and Mr. Anthony Stanley. Also present at the meeting was Tuan Haji Adnan Bin Abu Bakar (Pengarah Kebajikan Masyarakat Negeri Selangor).

During the discussion it was interesting we have noticed that Ms. Jayamalar too defensive and intended for defending. We strongly revealed that, she had committed through directly bullying the poor disabled person by physical and legally unacceptable act. Therefore, we humbly urge to Director General to drastic measure to be taken against her especially attitude and upholding the principle of moral rightness and with justice.

Genting sumbang RM450,000

KHAMIS 11 FEBRUARI 2010

Genting sumbang RM450,000

Lee Choong Yan dan Mohd. Amin Osman (tengah) menyampaikan sumbangan RM450,000 kepada 45 pertubuhan amal sempena ulang tahun ke-45 Genting Malaysia Berhad dan sambutan Tahun Baru Cina di Wisma Genting, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur, semalam.

KUALA LUMPUR 10 Feb. - Syarikat Genting Malaysia Berhad hari ini menyampaikan sumbangan RM450,000 kepada 45 pertubuhan amal sempena ulang tahun ke-45 Kumpulan Genting dan sambutan Tahun Baru Cina.

Presiden Genting Malaysia Berhad, Datuk Lee Choong Yan berkata, sumbangan tersebut sedikit sebanyak diharap mampu menampung aktiviti dan kos operasi pertubuhan-pertubuhan berkenaan.

"Kami akan tetap menjalankan tanggungjawab sosial setiap tahun walaupun secara langsung atau tidak," katanya pada majlis penyampaian sumbangan musim perayaan Genting Malaysia Berhad di Wisma Genting di sini, hari ini.

Turut hadir menyampaikan sumbangan tersebut ialah Pengarah Eksekutif Genting Berhad, Tan Sri Amin Osman.

Menurut Choong Yan, syarikat korporat harus peka menjalankan tanggungjawab sosial kepada masyarakat dan tidak hanya membiarkan perkara itu ditanggung oleh kerajaan semata-mata.

"Saya juga berharap agar penglibatan Genting Malaysia Berhad dalam aktiviti amal seperti ini dapat diteruskan setiap tahun," katanya.

Choong Yan berkata, Genting Malaysia Berhad telah mengamalkan tanggungjawab sosial sejak awal penubuhannya melalui empat bidang teras iaitu peluang pekerjaan, perniagaan, alam sekitar dan kemasyarakatan.

"Melalui cara ini kami akan memastikan kebajikan pekerja dan pengunjung sentiasa diutamakan.

"Perniagaan kami juga berteraskan mesra alam dan kami sangat peka dengan pembangunan masyarakat di sekeliling kami agar tidak ketinggalan dalam merasai pembangunan," jelasnya

Harian Metro Report On OKU Protest Recently Against MPS

Harian Metro Report On OKU Protest Recently Against MPS

Ketua Pesuruhajaya Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM), Datuk Abu Kassim Mohamad memohon maaf kepada ILTC

Ketua Pesuruhajaya Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM), Datuk Abu Kassim Mohamad memohon maaf di atas kejadian yang berlau semasa proses penyerahan memorandum yang berkenaan d8i pejabat SPRM Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur pada 18 Januari 2010 yang lalu.

Dato' Abu Kassim Bin Mohamed, ingin memohon maaf di atas kenyataan tersebut yang tidak bermaksud untuk menyinggung perasaan mana-mana pihak dalam hal ini.

OKU: Ketua Pesuruhjaya SPRM minta maaf kepada Karpal Singh

OKU: Ketua Pesuruhjaya SPRM minta maaf kepada Karpal Singh

KUALA LUMPUR, 19 Jan: Ketua Pesuruhajaya Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM), Datuk Abu Kassim Mohamad memohon maaf kepada Karpal Singh berikutan tindakan Peguam Kanan Persekutuan yang mewakili SPRM dikatakan menghina orang kurang upaya (OKU).

Begitu juga Peguam Kanan Persekutuan Persekutuan yang mengeluarkan kata-kata tidak baik terhadap OKU itu juga difahamkan telah memohon maaf.

Baru-baru ini, seorang Peguam Kanan Persekutuan didakwa mengeluarkan kata-kata menghina ke atas peguam Karpal Singh berkaitan dengan kecacatannya.

Ekoran itu, pelbgai pertubuhan OKU membuat bantahan terhadap penyataan yang dianggap menghina itu. Antaranya bantahan dibuat oleh Badan Latihan & Hidup Berdikari (ILTC), sebuah NGO yang mewakili orang kurang upaya.


(Gambar: Surat ILTC yang dihantar kepada SPRM bagi membantah kenyataan Peguam Kanan Persekutuan yang mewakili SPRM)

ILTC membantah kenyataan Peguam Kanan Persekutuan berkenaan yang dianggap sebagai menghina OKU apabila beliau menghina Karpal Singh.

Berikut adalah kenyataan penuh SPRM yang dihantar kepada Harakahdaily yang dikeluarkan oleh Ps. Nurhasmah Mohamed Kassim bagi pihak Ketua Unit Komunikasi Korporat

SPRM.SURUHANJAYA PENCEGAHAN RASUAH MALAYSIA
----------------------------------

Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) merujuk kepada laporan media berhubung kenyataan Peguam Kanan Persekutuan yang mewakili SPRM dalam satu perbicaraan mahkamah pada 18 Januari 2010.

SPRM dimaklumkan bahawa Peguam Kanan Persekutuan tersebut telah menarik balik kenyataan yang dibuat dan permohonan maaf telah dibuat oleh beliau kepada individu berkenaan.

Ketua Pesuruhjaya SPRM mewakili warga SPRM ingin memohon maaf di atas kenyataan tersebut dan tidak bermaksud untuk menyinggung perasaan mana-mana pihak dalam perkara ini.

SPRM juga merujuk kepada dakwaan Rakyat Anti-Diskriminasi ke atas OKU Malaysia (MADD) dan Badan Latihan dan Hidup Berdikari (ILTC) yang dikatakan terpaksa menunggu lama untuk menyampaikan memorandum kepada Ketua Pesuruhjaya SPRM serta ketiadaan pegawai SPRM untuk menerima memorandum tersebut.

Pejabat Ketua Pesuruhjaya SPRM hanya menerima permohonan daripada ILTC berhubung penyerahan memorandum tersebut melalui faksimili jam 10.03 pagi pada 18 Januari 2010.

Dalam permohonan tersebut, ILTC meminta Ketua Pesuruhjaya SPRM datang ke Pejabat SPRM Wilayah Persekutuan, Kuala Lumpur untuk menerima memorandum tersebut pada jam 11.30 pagi.

Namun begitu, Ketua Pesuruhjaya SPRM tidak dapat hadir kerana pada waktu yang sama beliau menghadiri Majlis Perasmian MyID dan Mesyuarat Agensi-Agensi Sektor Awam oleh YAB Timbalan Perdana Menteri di Pusat Konvensyen Antarabangsa Putrajaya (PICC).

Walau bagaimanapun, pihak SPRM Wilayah Persekutuan telah diminta untuk menerima memorandum tersebut bagi pihak Ketua Pesuruhjaya.

SPRM memohon maaf di atas segala kesulitan yang dilalui oleh pihak MADD dan ILTC dan akan memastikan perkara ini tidak berulang lagi.

IBU PEJABAT
SURUHANJAYA PENCEGAHAN RASUAH MALAYSIA,
PUTRAJAYA

19 JANUARI 2010

MACC says sorry

MACC says sorry
2010/01/20
PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission yesterday issued an apology to the disabled community over a remark made by its head of prosecution Datuk Abdul Razak Musa during the Teoh Beng Hock inquest on Friday.

In a statement, the MACC said it did not mean to offend any quarters.It also said the MACC head office was notified that Abdul Razak had already withdrawn his statement and apologised to the individual concerned.

On Friday, Abdul Razak caused an uproar with his remark to lawyer Karpal Singh that "I can sit down, but you cannot stand up".

The apology was issued following several protests by several groups, including the Independent Living and Training Centre and the Malaysians Against Discrimination of the Disabled.

MACC says sorry to Karpal

Wednesday January 20, 2010


MACC says sorry to Karpal

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission head of prosecution Datuk Abdul Razak Musa has apologised to Karpal Singh for making an insensitive remark to the latter on Friday.

In a press statement, the commission said Abdul Razak retracted his words and apologised to Karpal for his comments.

Last week during the Teoh Beng Hock inquest proceedings, Abdul Razak told Karpal, who was in a wheelchair, that “I can sit down, but you cannot stand up”.

The MACC also apologised for the insensitive comments made by Abdul Razak and said it was not the commission’s intention to offend any party.

Karpal, when contacted, said Abdul Razak had apologised to him in court immediately after the comment was made. The former had been cautioned by the judge as well.

“I accept the apology by the MACC in good grace and the matter should be left at that,” he said.

Karpal hoped that such an insult would not occur again, not only to him but to all disabled people.

On Monday, members of the Malaysians Against Discrimination of the Disabled (MADD) coalition submitted a memorandum to the MACC requesting that disciplinary action be taken against Abdul Razak for his comments.

The MACC’s Federal Territories director Azni Hamzah received the memorandum.

Disabled group wants council to do more

Wednesday January 20, 2010

Disabled group wants council to do more
By STUART MICHAEL

THE Independent Living and Training Centre (ILTC) in Rawang handed over a memorandum to the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) recently to build disabled-friendly facilities.

The memorandum asked the council to implement and enforce Local Building By-Laws to make the environment friendly to the disabled.
Speaking out: ILTC members gathering outside the council before handing over the memorandum.

According to ILTC president Francis Siva, people with disabilities do not want a welfare-based approach but prefer initiatives based on individual rights.

“In Malaysia, we urgently need significant improvement in our quality of life.

“We are part of the community and deserve equal treatment.

“We are disappointed with the council as there has been no progress and development in the infrastructure for the disabled in Rawang and Selayang.

“They should have taken into account proper accessible walkway pavements, elevators and toilets for the disabled and the elderly,” Siva said.

Siva added that last year, at a MPS full board meeting, the council decided that a lift and a ramp would be built for the disabled at the old MPS building and a Technical Working Committee For The Disabled’s Facilities would be set-up.

“Despite many promises made by the MPS there has been no progress.

“We demand to know if the needs of the disabled will henceforth be included in the planning.

“We will be speaking out on our struggle, plight and challenges and against prejudice of the disabled,” he added.

Twelve disabled members from ILTC were present at the MPS building to hand over the memorandum and voice out their concerns.

Group wants MACC to apologise to disabled

Tuesday January 19, 2010

Group wants MACC to apologise to disabled

KUALA LUMPUR: Members of the Malaysians Against Discrimination of the Disabled (MADD) coalition have submitted a memorandum to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Com­mission requesting that disciplinary action be taken against a senior officer.

The movement claimed that the commission’s head of prosecution Datuk Abdul Razak Musa had insulted Karpal Singh on Friday.

The memorandum stated that the MACC should tender a public apology not only to Karpal but to all disabled people in the country.

Angry message: Independent Living and Training Centre for the disabled president Francis Siva, T. Anthony Siva Balan, V. Murusamy and J. Jesinda showing their displeasure yesterday. With them is Surendran (wearing tie).

It also demanded that the MACC immediately institute a full review of its training and recruitment methods, programmes and modules.

Last week during the Teoh Beng Hock inquest proceedings, Abdul Razak told Karpal, who is in a wheelchair, that “I can sit down, but you cannot stand up”.

The coalition was represented by seven wheelchair-bound members and its legal adviser, N. Surendran.

MACC’s Federal Territories director Azni Hamzah received the memorandum yesterday.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Activists Protest Against MACC - malaysiakini

Malaysians Against Discrimination of the Disabled (MADD) demanded the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to apologise for its insult on veteran lawyer Karpal Singh. They want its chief, Abu Kassim Mohamed, to issue a public apology to the DAP chairperson and to all disabled persons for the uncalled for remarks by its counsel at an inquest recently.

MADD, an umbrella body for eight groups, handed over a memorandum to the MACC at the Federal House in Kuala Lumpur today.

It called for strict disciplinary action against MACC lawyer and representative Abdul Razak Musa who insulted Karpal, the legal counsel in the Teoh Beng Hock inquest last Friday.

During a verbal exchange on Thursday on an application to cite a MACC officer for contempt at the Teoh's inquest, Abdul Razak retorted: "I can sit down but Karpal cannot stand up." Musa later apologised and withdrew his remark.

A group of disable activists from MADD, led by Anthony Siva Balan Thanasayan and Francis Siva waited at the entrance of the MACC office for Abu Kassim to receive the memo.

However, not a single MACC officer appeared. A representative from the Soil and Minerals Department emerged after 30 minutes and asked the group to go up to the fifth floor to the MACC office.

MADD legal advisor N Surendran said: "Their insensitivity to the disabled is appalling. MACC officers are up there, they can't come down, they want these people to go up."

Surendran said that as the group faced difficulties in traveling to Putrajaya, they had contacted Abu Kassim to inform him of their intention to meet him at the KL office.

The group had to wait another 15 minutes before a MACC officer identifying himself as Khamswan emerged and offered to receive the memo on behalf of his office.

Asked why Abu Kassim could not receive the memo despite being given prior notice, Khamswan said: "The commissioner's office is in Putrajaya, not Kuala Lumpur."

The group refused to budge and insisted on handing over the memo to the MACC director.

Eventually, federal director of the MACC, Azni Hamzah (above), came down to accept the memo

Anthony, who is also a Petaling Jaya city councillor, was unhappy at the way the group had been treated.

"An insult to all disabled people"

"Is this what a caring society is? You don't even care to take a piece of paper from somebody. We are not asking anything from anybody, we're just expressing ourselves," he said.

"This is the worst. In parliament (during a previous protest) we had officials who came to see us and told us which way to go," he added.

Surendran (left) later explained that the disabled groups felt strongly about Musa's insult because previous protests on similar discrimination had fallen on deaf ears.

"The insult on Karpal's disability is not an insult just to Karpal, but to every disabled person in this country.

"If people in authority like Musa and the MACC do not know how to respect the disabled, what example are setting for the rest of the country?" he asked.

"An apology is not enough because every time they insult the disabled, they apologise and let the matter rest, which is what happened the last time Karpal was insulted," he said.

ILTC tuntut MPS sedia kemudahan OKU

Ahad 17-1-2010

ILTC tuntut MPS sedia kemudahan OKU

BANDAR BARU SELAYANG – Terasa terpinggir dengan arus pembangunan setempat dirasakan tidak mesra keperluan orang kurang upaya (OKU), pihak terbabit meminta Majlis Perban- daran Selayang (MPS) supaya lebih prihatin.

Tidak setakat kemudahan tempat letak kereta kepada OKU, sebaliknya kemudahan bagi pergerakan untuk semua jenis OKU juga diharap dapat diadakan.

Presiden Badan Latihan dan Hidup Berdikari (ILTC), Francis Siva yang menegaskan demikian berkata, sehingga kini, pihaknya merasakan masih banyak kemudahan untuk golongan sepertinya diabaikan.

“Kita tidak mengharapkan diberikan keistimewaan. Tetapi cukup dengan kemudahan di tempat awam yang memudahkan OKU termasuk warga emas, orang buta, pekak, pengguna kerusi roda dan lain-lain.

“Setakat ini di kawasan MPS, yang kita hanya nampak tempat parkir kereta diberikan perha- tian, itupun sering digunakan oleh orang biasa,” katanya kepada wartawan ketika menyerahkan memorandum berkenaan kepada MPS.

Wakil MPS hadir menerima memorandum itu adalah Pemangku Timbalan Yang Dipertua MPS yang juga Pengarah Perancang Bandar MPS, Juhari Ahmad. Dalam pada itu, mengulas kekurangan kemudahan untuk OKU, Francis mendakwa, misalnya di kawasan Bandar Rawang baru dibangunkan, kebanyakan bangunan di situ tidak mesra OKU.

“Contohnya, di Bandar Rawang dan tempat lain di Selayang, banyak laluan pejalan kaki, ‘elevators’, ‘ramp’ dan tandas mesra OKU dan warga emas namun di Terminal Bas dan Teksi Rawang baru, laluan berkerusi roda dan tandas OKU ada yang kurang sesuai.

“Pintu tandas di situ harus direka bentuk dengan ruang mencukupi untuk memastikan keselamatan sama ada OKU berkerusi roda automatik mahupun manual,” katanya.

Menurutnya, kebanyakan tempat awam khususnya di Rawang juga harus dipastikan mudah dilalui OKU serta mempunyai papan tanda mudah lihat.

“Peruntukan khas keperluan OKU ini sepatutnya dimasukkan dalam bajet MPS dalam mengimplementasikan undang-undang memastikan kemudahan ini ada di kawasannya. “

Jika dalam sebulan tiada maklum balas, mungkin kita akan adakan demontrasi dengan kumpulan lebih besar selepas ini,” katanya.

Mahu wakil dalam Jawatankuasa Khas OKU

Bagi memastikan kemudahan OKU lebih efektif, Francis berkata, pihak ILTC sedia membantu dengan meletakkan wakil khas daripada kalangan pihaknya dalam Jawatankuasa Khas OKU di MPS.

“Kita difahamkan selepas Setiausaha ILTC, P Gurdip Kaur tidak lagi bertugas sebagai Ahli Majlis MPS iaitu sejak setahun lalu, tiada lagi wakil OKU dalam Jawatankuasa Khas OKU ditubuhkan.

“Sedangkan pada kami, perlu ada wakil OKU dalam jawatankuasa itu dalam memastikan keperluan dan lebih memahami kehendak serta perasaan kami sebagai golongan OKU. “

Kita juga tidak pasti sama ada jawatankuasa ini masih wujud dan aktif atau tidak,” katanya.

Gurdip pula berkata, untuk melengkapkan kemudahan golongannya, MPS juga perlu memastikan bangunan dalam MPS sendiri mesra OKU terlebih dahulu.

“Contohnya, bangunan lama MPS dijanjikan untuk ditambah kemudahan lif, tetapi tiada perkembangan sehingga kini, manakala di Menara MPS sendiri tiada tanda penunjuk terdapat kemudahan tandas OKU dalam bangunan itu. “

Kios perniagaan MPS pula dibina terlalu kecil. Ini bermakna hanya orang biasa sahaja boleh berniaga kerana jika OKU berkerusi roda tentu tidak sesuai,” katanya.

Menurutnya, golongan OKU tidak seharusnya dilupakan dalam mencapai visi MPS mewujudkan kawasan selesa didiami, memandangkan mereka juga rakyat negara ini yang membayar cukai serta pengundi.

Peruntukan bawah Jabatan Kejuruteraan MPS

Juhari ketika mengulas memorandum dihantar kepada MPS itu berkata, pihaknya belum ada peruntukan khas untuk golongan OKU.

“Bagaimanapun keperluan mengadakan kemudahan OKU contohnya di bangunan MPS akan dipastikan Jabatan Kejuruteraan MPS. Malah, hal berkaitan OKU diambil kira dalam perancangan pembangunan MPS. “

Jawatankuasa Teknikal OKU MPS dipengerusikan ahli majlis untuk membincangkan perkara berkaitan OKU juga telah diwujudkan sejak tahun lalu,” katanya.

Kata Juhari, bagi bangunan milik sektor swasta pula, pihaknya akan memastikan bangunan baru dibina di kawasan MPS menyediakan kemudahan diperlukan oleh OKU.

Katanya, syarat pembangu- nan itu kini perlu dipatuhi pihak swasta dan sekiranya gagal, pihaknya tidak akan mengeluarkan Sijil Layak Mendu- duki (CF) untuk bangunan telah disiapkan.

“Bagi bangunan seperti kedai lama, kita akan cuba adakan kemudahan sepatutnya,” katanya.

Mengulas kemudahan lif di bangunan lama MPS, menurutnya tiada peruntukan disediakan untuk itu sebelum ini namun, tidak menolak ia akan diadakan masa akan datang.

Disabled Group Threaten Protest - malaysiakini

15 January 2010

Disabled Group Threaten Protest - malaysiakini

An NGO for the disabled community, Independent Living and Training Centre (ILTC), warned that they would hold a protest against the Selayang Municipal Council if it fails to heed the needs of the disabled community.

"We're giving them a month to provide people in Rawang with disabled-friendly facilities. Failure to do so will result in us organising a mass protest," said Francis Siva, the director of ILTC.

Siva along with a dozen disabled people sent a memorandum to Selayang Municipal Council this morning.They complained of the lack of progress in providing infrastructure for the disabled in the Rawang and Selayang vicinity.

Among the demands in the memorandum was for the Selayang Municipal Council building to be made disabled-friendly.

The group also called for all new buildings to be made accessible to the disabled, with allocations for disabled parking lots near building entrances in Rawang.

Empty promises to disabled

Speaking to Malaysiakini, Siva also lamented the fact that the council had only paid lip service to the disabled community.

"Our secretary, Reena Kaur when appointed as councillor for a year from July 2008 to June 2009 had made many proposals to the council. However, the proposals had not become a reality."

In the absence of a representative in the council, the ILTC also wants the disabled community to be included in the council's technical committee as the representative would be able to advise the council on issues involving the community.

"They don't understand our needs. As such, development is done without taking into account our concerns," Francis lamented.

He also bemoaned the futility of having existing laws that did cover people with disabilities.“We have all the by-laws but the system is corrupted.”

There have been periodic complaints by members of the disabled community even though an act had been passed in 2008.

Mental Patients Already Categorised As Disabled - Dept

January 07, 2010 19:29 PM

Mental Patients Already Categorised As Disabled - Dept

By: Ramjit

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 7 (Bernama) -- The Welfare Department has already categorised mental patients as the disabled following an approval by the cabinet on May 27 last year, its Director-General Datuk Meme Zainal Rashid said.

In a statement, Meme Zainal said apart from mental patients, among the new categories of disabled were those with visual impairment, hearing impairment as well as multiple disabilities.

He was commenting on the call by National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye recently that mental patients should be categorised as disabled.

Meme Zainal clarified however that only those with schizophrenia, mood disorder and acute organic mental disorder and those who had undergone psychiatry treatment for at least two years can be registered as disabled.

Only psychiatrists were allowed to certify the mental state of patients, he said, adding that registration of mental patients as disabled can now be made at any of the department's office. All disabled registered with the department could be considered for appropriate assistance, he said.

BERNAMA

Taking stock

Thursday January 7, 2010

Taking stock

Wheel Power by ANTHONY THANASAYAN

ONE of the things I relish most about the new year is the opportunity to engage in some retrospection, to take stock of the things that have impacted our lives in the past 12 months.

Whether events are good or unpleasant, they can provide valuable learning points for growth.

This to me is far better than any of the usual things that we do during every yearend celebration to mark the passing of the old and the dawning of the new.

2009 in this respect has been my most significant teacher yet in the classroom of life. I can’t begin to tell you how much I’ve learnt as a city councillor for Petaling Jaya (MBPJ), and as an individual with a disability.

I am thankful for all the support I received, especially the backing of my able-bodied colleagues on issues affecting the handicapped.

Such championing has turned the local council from being an entity that once was thought to provide too few disabled-friendly facilities to a vibrant one that is very much in touch with the needs of the disabled community.

Improved designs – incorporating audible and electronic alarms – in toilets for the disabled, covered car parks around the city, new guidelines for management of homes for the elderly, and free dog licences for vulnerable groups receiving animal-assisted therapy, are some of the many wonderful changes that I’ve been lucky to be part of, particularly in the past year.

None of these many milestones for the disabled would have come about without the setting up of a special disability committee chaired by a disabled person.

It would be great if all local councils throughout the country could come up with a New Year resolution to set up disability committees in their locales to speed up attempts to reach out to disabled and elderly residents.

Another valuable service is the provision of disabled-friendly vans to transport the handicapped and the elderly.

These vehicles come with a hydraulic lift that makes wheelchair access into the vans a breeze.

The wheelchair user can remain seated whilst the wheelchair is being hauled up into the van. The MBPJ vans offer free rides to the handicapped anywhere in Petaling Jaya. This is a wonderful opportunity for the handicap to get out of their houses and do something positive with their lives, instead of being confined to their homes because of the lack of public transport.

All local councils should look into providing vans and services like these in their respective councils.

The National Welfare Department should also get into the act.

All the vans I’ve seen that are currently provided by them are used to ferry their able-bodied officers. One wonders why the department did not come up with such an initiative in the first place, given their longstanding tradition and experience of working with the disabled. A new mindset will certainly go a long way in making a positive difference in the lives of Malaysians with disabilities.

Mentally Ill Should Be Categroised As Disabled Persons - NIOSH

Mentally Ill Should Be Categroised As Disabled Persons - NIOSH

By: Ramjit

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 2 (Bernama) -- The National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH) is proposing to the government to include mentally ill individuals under the disabled persons category.

NIOSH chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said in previous years, mental health had been a topic of low priority for the government and community as compared to other health problems but increasingly as reflected worldwide, it had gained more prominence.

He also said that the promotion of good mental health among Malaysians of all age groups should be accorded due priority this year and be listed on the national agenda of major health and workplace issues to be addressed.

He said mental health problems, especially stress-related among Malaysians including school students, were a matter of serious concern and need to be addressed urgently so that problems like stress, anger, violence and other mental disorders such as psychosis, depression and suicides could be avoided.

"In Malaysia, we need to do more for those who suffer from mental illness. On the welfare services front, the government should include the mentally ill as disabled persons."And they should be accorded opportunities in employment to help them return to the mainstream and not be a burden to society," he said in a statement on Saturday.

BERNAMA