Thursday March 29, 2012

 

Devigi dreams of a decent home for her disabled children

By A. LETCHUMANAN 
letchu@thestar.com.my

Lending a helping hand: Mohan speaking to Abby (second from left), Meghala and Devigi at their home in Banting.

BANTING: All supermum S. Devigi wants is a decent home for her three children who have muscular dystrophy.

Devigi fears that her family will have to vacate their dilapidated house at the JKR quarters in Sungai Manggis soon.

“Living in this house is a nightmare; water leaks at several places whenever there is a downpour and we also fear snakes entering our home,” she said.

“We would be grateful if good Samaritans can help us achieve our dream.”

Devigi's children Nyanamambiga @ Abby, 27, Meghala, 26, and Gopi, 24, and her husband V. Ugjayan have muscular dystrophy, a condition that causes the muscles to become progressively weak.

Depending on Ugjayan's salary as a driver in a utility company and assistance from the welfare department, the couple have a tough time ensuring there was enough food for the family daily.

“We don't have savings. Sometimes, we have to beg our relatives and friends to get through the day,” she said, adding that her former employer Paul Rajendran had also assisted them.

MIC Youth chief T. Mohan, who visited the family here on Tuesday, had pledged to help the family move into a new home.

“They have a small plot of land inherited from their grandfather and we will collect money for a home which is disabled-friendly,” he said.

“We will talk to a few developers to help build the house,” Mohan said, adding that the estimate was about RM150,000.

He said Paul and his wife Stella, together with Devigi, would manage the account.

Those who want to contribute can send cheques in S. Devigi's name to 12, Jalan PBP 5, Taman Perindustrian Pusat Bandar Puchong, 47100, Puchong, Selangor, or bank in to Banting Maybank current account 562058051642.

For information, contact Paul at 012-229 4518 or K. Kesavan at 012-355 4104.

Monday March 26, 2012

Supermum needs a home

By A. LETCHUMANAN 
letchu@thestar.com.my

BANTING: S. Devigi is a supermum.

Not only is she bringing up three children diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, she is also taking care of her brother-in-law, who suffers from the same disease.

Muscular dystrophy is a condition where muscles become progressively weak.

Undaunted, Devigi is going all out to ensure her children get an education.

Beating the odds: Devigi lifting Meghala from a wheelchair at their home at Sungai Maggis in Banting, Klang. Looking on are Abby and Gopi (in white).

A few years ago, it was a familiar sight when the 53-year-old housewife put the three children on separate wheelchairs and pushed them to their primary and secondary schools in Banting.

Devigi married V. Ugjayan, 52, a close relative in the early 1980s and gave birth to a daughter Nyanamambiga @Abby in 1985 followed by Meghala in 1987 and Gopi in 1988.

“The children were healthy when they were born but after a few years, they came down with the disease,” she said.

Devigi added that she had spent lots of money on mediums as well as consultants in hospitals.

Life is a struggle for the couple.

With only her husband's salary as a driver in a utility company and assistance from the welfare department, they are having a tough time ensuring that there is enough food on the table.

Her husband underwent a heart operation and has been assigned to light duties while Devigi suffers from swollen legs making it difficult for her to carry the children to the bathroom.

Abby, who has completed her SPM, is pursuing her further studies as well as helping out in a language institute while her brother gets an allowance working in a Banting temple.

Meghala does graphic design work at home.

Their financial difficulties aside, the family one of the very few still living in a dilapidated PWD quarters in Sungai Manggis have received notices to vacate but have nowhere to go.

“We hope a good Samaritan will help us find suitable shelter,” Devigi said.

Devigi's former employers Paul and Stella Rajendran came to the family's aid recently when Gopi's motorised wheelchair broke down.

“I looked after their children when they were young but now, they have been helping mine. I am indebted to them,” Devigi said.

Paul and Stella sought help from the Taman Tun Dr Ismail Kristis Aman Church which undertook a donation drive and collected RM5,500 to buy a motorised wheelchair, which was presented to Gopi last week.

The couple also bought a toilet wheelchair which was a requirement for the three children.

OKU MBPJ Councillor - Yam Comments Part 7

OKU MBPJ Councillor - Gurdip Comments Part 6

OKU MBPJ Councillor - Pam Comments Part 5

OKU MBPJ Councillor - Raj Comments Part 4

OKU MBPJ Councillor - Jeffrey Comments Part 3

OKU MBPJ Councillor - Shirley Comments Part 2

OKU Councillor - Press Conference at SUK Part-1

Disabled want representative in councils

Disabled want representative in councils

Published: Fri, 16 Mar 2012

SHAH ALAM: Members from four associations for the disabled are calling on Selangor to ensure the handicapped are represented in all 12 local governments to ensure their needs are looked after.

The groups want at least one disabled councillor to be appointed to sit on Infrastructure Technical committees and One Stop Centres at each local authority.

“On the issue of building disabled-friendly amenities, it’s not enough to engage handicapped groups for advice. We want our own to sit on the committees,” said Independent Living and Training Centre (ILTC) president Francis Siva.

(From left): Chong, Phang, Francis and Rina say that Selangor should appoint more disabled individuals as local government councillors.

He said disabled persons could better represent the handicapped community as councillors by planning and approving projects that give better access for people with mobility issues.

Chong Tuck Meng, 50, said only disabled councillors understood the need to design and construct public buildings from scratch to cater to the deaf, blind or people on wheelchairs.

Chong, who leads a spinal cord injury rehabilitation group in Kuala Lumpur, said the Federal and state governments could not ignore the rights of the disabled.

“We want the handicapped to be able to access public areas such as shopping malls, tourist attractions and even parks and forest reserves,” he said, during a press conference calling for the reinstatement of Petaling Jaya (MBPJ) councillor Anthony Thanasayan.

His status is in limbo after his extension was put on hold.

Last week, MBPJ called off the swearing-in ceremony at the eleventh hour citing technical grounds for the postponement.

Meanwhile, former Selayang municipal councillor (MPS) Rina Kaur, 50, said all local governments in the state should adopt a move to have at least one disabled person serving as a councillor.

The wheelchair-bound non-governmental organisation leader served Selayang from 2009 to 2011 but did not get her term extended after that.

“I could have done more to get parts of Selayang disabled-friendly with the right kind of access ramps installed at public areas,” she said.

Friends of Kota Damansara (FOKD) co-chairman Jeffrey Phang concurs that disabled councillors should have their terms extended, especially if their performance has been “good”.

“Don’t undermine the momentum by replacing disabled councillors if they are performing.”

He said a local recreational attraction here at Kota Damansara Community Forest was more disabled-friendly and accessible due to the efforts of the handicapped community working with MBPJ on the matter.

Phang cited Anthony for making the recreational park more accessible to disabled travellers and lauded the councillor’s efforts.

He agreed with the others that the state should keep Anthony’s appointment as MBPJ councillor.

They later handed over a memorandum to Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim’s office as well as state executive councillor for local government, Ronnie Liu.

Show of support for disabled councillor

IN DEFENCE: NGOs say Anthony Sivabalan Thanasayan has contributed to the welfare of the disabled

Francis Siva (seated, fourth from left) and other NGO representatives at the Selangor state government office in Shah Alam. Pic by Azhar Ramli

SHAH ALAM: A GROUP of non-governmental organisations and residents' associations are urging the state government to reappoint Anthony Sivabalan Thanasayan as a Petaling Jaya   councillor.  

Independent Living and Training Centre president Francis Siva, who represented the group, submitted a memorandum  in support of the disabled councillor  to the state authorities on Monday.

 He handed the letter to  state government media officer Tuan Nazuri Tuan Ismail  as Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim was in Parliament.

Nazuri said he would forward the letter to the MB's office.

 "We appeal to the state government to reinstate Anthony and not to give in to  parties who want him out, based on the councillor's experience and contribution to the disabled community,  in PJ and Selangor.

 "Let him serve for another term and finish what he  started, before deciding on his future," he added.

 He said the fact that the PJ City Council had won special awards for disabled-friendly facilities from the Housing and Local Government Ministry and the state government  was an indication of the weight of Anthony's contribution.

  The letter was endorsed the Independent Living and Training Centre, Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association, Persatuan Warga Istimewa & Rehabilitasi Anggota K9, Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Perwira K9 Malaysia, Community Services for the Deaf, Dyslexia Association of Malaysia and other NGOs.

 Also present were centre secretary Gurdip Kaur, Malaysian Association for the Blind's Cyber Club chairman Yam Tong Woo, Section 6 Rukun Tetangga chairman Rajesh Mansukhlal, animal activist Pamela Lim and Friends of Kota Damansara chairman Jeffrey Phang.

 This  follows a protest last week by a group who said the wheelchair-bound Anthony was not fit to be a councillor.

 It was reported that the swearing-in of PJ councillors was postponed as there was disagreement over the list of candidates.

 Sources said the postponement was due to the retraction of three names -- Anthony, Harmony Ghani Ismail and Tang Fuie Koh.

 "The Petaling Jaya City Council has yet to receive a directive on the matter.

"It will hold its swearing-in ceremony once everything is sorted out," said the source.

 Two NGOs, Warga OKU PJ and Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better, had protested against Anthony's reappointment.

They claimed that he had "discredited their efforts for animal welfare and that he had interfered in canine welfare advocacy work, propagation of euthanasia and attempts of commercialising dog catching in Selangor".

Read more: Show of support for disabled councillor - Central - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/streets/central/show-of-support-for-disabled-councillor-1.60396#ixzz1p5l97tca

Pahang To Increase Monthly Allowance For OKUs

March 13, 2012 16:16 PM

Pahang To Increase Monthly Allowance For OKUs

TEMERLOH, March 13 (Bernama) -- The Pahang government has agreed to increase the monthly allowance RM70 per month given to 4,000 Persons With Disabilities (OKUs) to RM300.

Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob said with the assistance could help them cope with the higher cost of living.

He told this to reporters after opening Pahang's OKU Day celebration, which was attended by more than 2,000 OKUs at Tun Abdul Razak Hall, here today.

Adnan said the new payment was expected to be made in April or May together with the arrears, which would be calculated from January.

He said, however, the payments would only be given to OKUd who were really not able to do any job.

-- BERNAMA

Keep disabled man as PJ councillor, S'gor urged

Keep Thanasayan As MBPJ Councillor Says Strongman Chong

 

Koh Jun Lin
11:21AM Mar 13, 2012

Keep disabled man as PJ councillor, S'gor urged

Five NGOs involved in the welfare of disabled people have handed over a memorandum to the Selangor government in support of embattled Petaling Jaya city councillor Anthony Siva Balan Thanasayan.

The delegation of about 20 arrived at the state government headquarters in Shah Alam about 11am yesterday to submit the memorandum to Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim and the exco member in charge of local government Ronnie Liu.

Persatuan Warga Istimewa dan Rehabilitasi Anggota K9 (Perwira K9) founding chairperson Chong Tuck Meng told Malaysiakini the memo, among others, calls for Anthony to be allowed to continue his work for disabled people.

“He is doing a very good and professional job in areas such as accessibility issues at car parks and toilets for wheelchair-bound persons. He dares to challenge other councillors to make things right,” Chong said.

Other groups present were the Dyslexia Association of Malaysia, Malaysian Animal-assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (Petpositive), Community Services for the Deaf and Independent Living and Training Centre.

Petition against Anthony

The memo also calls on the state to form a ‘technical committee for the disabled’ and to ensure that disabled persons are represented in local councils, including those other than the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ).

“They are the ones who know what to expect, what to change and what to modify to suit our needs,” said Chong.

English daily New Straits Times reported last Thursday that two NGOs, one for disabled persons and the other for animal welfare, were opposing Anthony’s reappointment as MBPJ councillor.

It quoted Warga OKU PJ vice-president Azlan Elias as saying that Anthony had failed in his duty because few places in Petaling Jaya have facilities for the disabled, while a Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better spokesperson complained that he interfered with their animal welfare efforts.

The second group is also collecting signatures against Anthony, garnering 1,254 signatures as of 7.15pm yesterday.

End or article

Meanwhile, here is the memo that was sent to the Menteri Besar:

MEMORANDUM

Y.A.B. TAN SRI DATO` ABD KHALID BIN IBRAHIM
DATO` MENTERI BESAR SELANGOR

PEJABAT DATO` MENTERI BESAR SELANGOR
TINGKAT 21, BANGUNAN SSAAS

40503 SHAH ALAM

SELANGOR DARUL EHSAN

Y.B. TUAN RONNIE LIU TIAN KHIEW
 PENGERUSI JAWATANKUASA TETAP KERAJAAN TEMPATAN, KAJIAN DAN PENYELIDIKAN

PEJABAT AHLI MAJLIS MESYUARAT KERAJAAN NEGERI SELANGOR

TINGKAT 15, BANGUNAN SSAAS

40503 SHAH ALAM

SELANGOR DARUL EHSAN

We, representatives of nationally registered societies for the disabled in the country are alarmed and dismayed by the recent attempts by some quarter’s criticism to try and stop Anthony Siva Balan Thanasayan from becoming councillor of the city of Petaling Jaya.

Thanasayan had already been selected to serve the 2012/2013 term and we deeply regret that the personal attacks by a disgruntled few have resulted in his delay in being appointed as councillor.

As such, we would like to strongly urge the Menteri Besar not to be influenced by the baseless allegations made by the some individuals.

Rather we would like Tan Sri Khalid to immediately reappoint Thanasayan as councillor as planned and judge him by his impeccable performance. 

Thanasayan was responsible to bring not one, but two outstanding OKU awards for MBPJ during his tenure.

The first one is called Anugerah Khas Kemudahan OKU 2009/2010 untuk Anugerah Alam Sekitar Bandar Lestari Anjuran KPKT. The second one is Anugerah Khas Kemudahan OKU 2010/2011 Anjuran SUK.

In addition to that, we want Thanasayan back for the following key reasons:

• To complete all the projects and programmes that Thanasayan pioneered for the benefit for people with disabilities and the elderly in Petaling Jaya. These include never before covered car parks for the handicapped, outreach programmes to renovate toilets and living conditions for the disabled and elderly in poorer parts of PJ such as Taman Medan and PPR flats in Kota Damansara.
• Thanasayan also pioneered the State to set up disability committees in all 12 of its councils. Thanasayan was assigned with his special committee by YB Ronnie Liu to follow up with each councils with visits and support to ensure that the special committees are up and running. The setting up of such committees in each PBT is vital to ensure that the needs of the disabled especially in accessibility is met.
• Thanasayan has also been working with a broad group of people with disabilities – not only with people in wheelchairs but the blind, Deaf, little people, people with stroke, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy and even people with mental illness.
• We urge the Selangor State Government to appoint more disabled councillors in the PBT’s. The disabled communities hereby would like to highlight there are no new disabled councillors appointed for the new term’s.      

The abovementioned statement is endorsed by:

1. Independent Living and Training Centre Malaysia
2. Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (Petpositive) 
3. Persatuan Warga Istimewa & Rehabilitasi Anggota K9, Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Perwira K9 Malaysia
4. Community Services for the Deaf
5. Dyslexia Association of Malaysia
6. Friends of Kota Damansara.

Thursday March 8, 2012

A chance to be heard

 The disabled want greater accessibility and job opportunities, not pity.

MORE than 10,000 people, including the disabled, had a great time when they gathered at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, last Sunday.

They were there at a function to meet Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.

Representatives from as many as 1,000 NGOs turned up at the gathering under the 1Malaysia people’s welfare programme (KAR1SMA).

Shahrizat gave each one of them a rousing tribute, saying that “without (your untiring work), we would be nowhere”.

On his part, the Prime Minister pointed out the need to reach out to every disabled person.

“Persons with disabilities do not want our pity; they deserve equal opportunities instead and we must give them that,” Najib said.

Several NGOs were given an opportunity to make their requests directly to the Prime Minister. Organisations that work with people with disabilities asked for greater accessibility, jobs to help them eke out a living, and representation of their issues in Parliament.

There were, however, some glitches at the event which I hope the organisers will look into for future programmes.

Only one lift was in working order in the stadium. This resulted in “traffic jams” for wheelchairs, especially during breaks. Not every wheelchair-user had assistance during mealtimes. We were put in the awkward position of asking the waiters for help.

On another note, the Faculty of Creative Multimedia at the Multimedia University (MMU) in Cyberjaya put together an interesting talk last Friday.

Prof Julio Abascal, an accessibility expert from Spain, spoke on “Universal accessibility to ubiquitous services: Supporting the everyday life of people with restrictions.”

Blind activist Yam Tong Woo, 58, e-mailed me his views on the event.

“All my blind friends and those in wheelchairs who attended the talk agreed it was one of the best sessions we have been to in recent times. We all listened in rapt attention as Prof Abascal disclosed how advances in Internet technology and computer software are revolutionising the lives of the disabled and elderly citizens in Europe.

“He pointed out how ubiquitous computing can help vulnerable people stay safe by providing useful information for their specific needs, whether it is at home, in the office or in the streets.”

According to Prof Abascal, elderly people who live alone can now be better monitored at home through computer technology and interfaces.

“Such information is vital in community nursing homes and independent living centres for the severely handicapped.

“Special devises and sensors to detect movements and other activities, can help monitor the safety and health of the individual. Say, if an elderly person slips in the bathroom or elsewhere and sustains a fall, an alert would be triggered within seconds to a medical control centre that will send help immediately.”

Prof Abascal gave an interesting insight into ways in which ubiquitous computering can enhance accessibility for the disabled and the elderly.

“A mobile device could be linked via interface to an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) kiosk ito revolutionise how disabled people manage their banking transactions. Those who would benefit from this technology are the blind, little people and wheelchair users.”

Out of bounds

Yam notes that it is a shame that in Malaysia, ATM kiosks remain out of bounds to the blind community.

“ATMs are not user-friendly for the visually impaired. Worse still, local banks do not allow us to own ATM cards; overseas countries have no problems with such issues.

“Prof Abascal showed us how a universal remote device that could enable disabled persons to be more independent – whether indoors or outdoors – is currently undergoing prototype testing.

“A wheelchair-user or the visually impaired could, for example, use the mobile device to operate the lift’s control panel, switch on the lights, or turn on electrical and electronic appliances and gadgets.

Prof Abascal reminded everyone that accessibility was an issue which would become of increasing concern in an ageing population, added Yam.

On a final note, it is regretful that MMU’s toilet for the disabled was out of order.

The management should make it a point to keep the toilet in working condition throughout the year.

‘Revoking aid to disabled farmer a shameful act’

K Pragalath

 | March 6, 2012

PKR vice president N Surendran says that the aid termination for disabled Sarawak farmer Frusis Lebi is a high-handed, unlawful, intolerant and shameful act.

PETALING JAYA: PKR vice president N Surendran said denying aid to a disabled farmer in Sarawak was a high-handed and a shameful act by the BN led Sarawak government.

Fifty-one-year-old Frusis Lebi’s hands and feet are deformed. So it came as a double blow to him when he discovered last year that both his welfare allowance and his subsidies for fertilitiser and seedlings were revoked.

Lebi, who lives in Entulang longhouse in Sri Aman, is an opposition supporter who believes he has been victimised by Mong Dagang, the Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) Youth chief, who is also the State Assistant Minister of Agriculture (research and marketing).

Lebi’s biggest mistake was  that he openly supported the opposition in the last state election and hoisted a PKR flag in front of his house.

He added that the (Sarawak Chief Minister) Taib Mahmud administration breached the constitution and that BN’s action was against democracy.

“By punishing Frusis Lebi for supporting the opposition, the Sarawak state government has breached his constitutional right to freedom of association under Article 10 of the Federal Constitution.

“What the BN has done in Frusis Lebi’s case goes against the very basis of our democratic system of government. It also makes nonsense of Prime Minister Najib’s promises of reform and a fairer administration,” said Surendran in a press statement.

Surendran also accused BN of being insensitive to the needs of the disabled community and failed to hear the plight of the disabled as echoed by disabled advocacy groups.

“Indeed, the BN government acts as if the disabled do not exist.

“The BN has a long track record of complete insensitivity to the needs of the disabled.

“The needs of the disabled in terms of education, access to public facilities and employment opportunities have long been neglected under the BN,” he said.

Surendran further charged that Mong Dagang’s actions was a reflection of BN’s track record in coercing support for the party.

“This disgraceful act is also consistent with Barisan Nasional’s long history of misusing government powers to bribe, threaten, terrorise and illegally pressure citizens into supporting the BN.”

He also wants the Sarawak state government to apologise to Lebi with both welfare and subsidies restored.

Disabled ‘punished’ for supporting PKR

Disabled ‘punished’ for supporting PKR

Joseph Tawie

 | March 5, 2012

A Sarawak State Assistant Minister allegedly showed his 'cruel' side when he instructed two government departments to revoke aid to a deformed man.

SRI AMAN: Fifty-one-year-old Frusis Lebi’s hands and feet are deformed. So it came as a double blow to him when he discovered last year that both his welfare allowance and his subsidies for fertilitiser and seedlings were revoked.

Lebi, who lives in Entulang longhouse in Sri Aman, is an opposition supporter who believes he has been victimised by Mong Dagang, the Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) Youth chief, who is also the State Assistant Minister of Agriculture (research and marketing)

Lebi’s biggest mistake is that he openly supported the opposition in the last state election and hoisted a PKR flag in front of his house.

A “heartless” Dagang had apparently instructed his officers to cancel Lebi’s subsidies and allegedly advised the Welfare Department to do the same. Both forms of aid stopped in October last year.

Armed with the letter allegedly from Dagang, Lebi sought the help of the Sri Aman DAP branch chairman, Leon Jimat Donald.

Together they lodged a police report last Friday against Dagang, for allegedly abusing his power against a disabled man.

“I am extremely shocked to read the letter believed to be from Dagang to the Departments of Agriculture and Welfare instructing them to revoke agricultural subsidies and welfare allowance for him on grounds that Lebi openly supported the opposition.

“I couldn’t believe that Dagang is so cruel and heartless against a disabled man on the grounds that he supported the opposition and hoisted a PKR flag in front of his house, and that he was against government policy.

“Dagang also allegedly accused Lebi of permitting the opposition to use his house as an operation centre” said Jimat.

Cruel act

Jimat said that Lebi did not deny that he was supporting the opposition during the last state election.

But he has vehemently denied that his house was the operation centre for the opposition.

“All he did was to put up the PKR flag in front of his house,” Jimat said, adding that the party was appalled by this excessive punishment and inhumane treatment of Lebi.

He said Dagang had no right to be “so cruel” to a disabled man, especially since the government aid came from the taxpayers.

“How can Dagang be so cruel to deny Lebi, a disabled man, his government aid? It is not Dagang’s personal money, neither is it Barisan Nasional’s money.

“It is the taxpayers’ money. All Malaysians pay taxes regardless whether they support Pakatan Rakyat or BN.

‘Unfair policies’

“I believe Lebi is not against government policy per se, but he is surely against the unfair and unjust policies of BN, which happens to be the government of the day.

“He was probably hoisting the PKR flag during the election with the hope that Pakatan would be the next state government,” Jimat said.

Jimat said that Dagang’s letter clearly reflected his total disregard and utter contempt for Lebi’s democratic rights.

Demanding that Dagang apologise to Lebi and his family, he also said the former should restore Lebi’s government subsidies and welfare allowance.

“Being government departments, the Welfare and Agriculture Departments should not allow themselves to be used as political tools of Dagang,” he said.

“They (government departments) cannot take part in politics, otherwise everything will go haywire when the Pakatan forms the next government,” he added.