Public Buses In Tokyo, Perth And Kuala Lumpur

Travelling broadens the mind. It is an opportunity to see how things can be done differently and better. When I was in Tokyo for training earlier this year, it was not the culture shock that got to me. Rather, the barrier-free environment in public places was so amazing that I had difficulty adjusting when I came back although I was there only for two weeks. I had no problem moving about in Tokyo. Most of the buses had facilities to accommodate wheelchairs. The drivers were very helpful in assisting wheelchair users too.

After reading the entry titled Please Take Along My Disability, Cynthia Foo of Just Blogging Around messaged me. She is currently studying in Perth and shared with me about the barrier-free environment there and how the Australians are generally considerate when it comes to assisting disabled persons. I asked if she could take some photos that I could use for this entry because I was going to write about accessible public transportation. The next day, she went out with Kian, her boyfriend, and caught some interesting shots and also a video (AVI Format, 8.28 MB - video removed to reduce bandwidth load. Please email me for a copy).

“I asked the bus driver,” Cynthia shared with me. “He is really friendly to show me everything. I told him I’m helping a friend doing a blog. He doesn’t know what it is anyway but once he heard it is for people with disabilities he straight away said, “Oh!! I show you everything when I finish smoking.” He allowed me to take pictures before allowing people to go in.”

After going through the photos that Cynthia sent to me, I wondered about the state of the public transportation in Kuala Lumpur, especially buses. Wuan uses the RapidKL network of buses and the Ampang & Sri Petaling Line (formerly Star-LRT) to work everyday. I told her I wanted to see the difference between Tokyo, Perth and Kuala Lumpur.

She took a load of photos for me. Of the few hundred RapidKL buses plying the road, none were accessible to wheelchairs. It is unfortunate that even the newly delivered buses do not come with features such as ramps and low floors. The Ampang & Sri Petaling Line is even worse. There are no elevators to the platforms. I wonder how the elderly and the pregnant can manage up the numerous flights of steps by themselves.

As it is, Malaysia cannot claim to be a fully inclusive society yet. The interests and needs of a sizeable group of citizens have not been fully addressed. To be fair, the government is currently looking into ways to resolve this problem. I attended an informal meeting with representatives from two governmental ministries and several disabled persons last week. They were very keen in making the public environment barrier-free. The effectiveness of this initiative is yet to be seen but for the sake of people who need it, I hope it is followed through to completion.

One of the reasons why Tokyo is so accessible is because of the ageing population there. Malaysia, too, is facing a growing trend of ageing population. A barrier-free environment will benefit the elderly in many ways. They have contributed much to the development of the nation. We must at least ensure that their most basic needs are provided for, among others the ability to move around conveniently.

In fact, the inclusion of barrier-free facilities does not deprive anyone of anything. Everybody can use it. It truly baffles me that this standard of universal accessibility is not being practiced widely in this country. What are we waiting for? And finally, how do the public buses in Kuala Lumpur score when it comes to accessibility? We failed wholly and entirely. None could accommodate a person on a wheelchair. As a world class city, Kuala Lumpur has a lot of catching up to do as compared to cities that have laid claim to less.

The Star - August 5, 2006: Letters To The Editor

Make Penang monorail system barrier-free

AS a Penangite, I am elated by your front-page report, “Projects for Penang given the green light” (The Star, Aug 3) that a monorail system is to be built in Penang.

As a wheelchair user, I see this as a potentially convenient and affordable option to move around.

The public bus system is in a pathetic state and does not cater to the needs of people like me. Let’s not even talk about the taxis that are now on strike.

It is imperative that the Penang monorail is barrier-free for the disabled persons, senior citizens and pregnant women who constitute a substantial segment of our society.

There is a real need for ramps and elevators for our convenience.

There should be no excuse not to make the monorail system accessible to all. The Kelana Jaya Line is a fine example of a barrier-free rail system.

Likewise, the KLIA Express is fully accessible and has foldable seats to accommodate wheelchair users.

In January, the Social Welfare Department and the Japan International Cooperation Agency sent me and two other wheelchair users to Tokyo for training on independent living.

What impressed me most was that I could go anywhere around Tokyo by using the monorail, trains, subways and buses with little or no difficulty.

It was very common to see the severely disabled using electric wheelchairs around train stations in Tokyo.

I enjoyed the liberation of being able to move freely in a foreign city. When I returned, I experienced a reverse culture shock.

Public transportation in Malaysia is mostly inaccessible to wheelchair users. It is ironic that I felt very confined in my own country.

Our neighbouring countries, Singapore and Thailand, are adding elevators to their city rail systems in stages.

They have recognised the need for such facilities. It would have cost a lot less had the elevators been incorporated into the initial structure.

We should not make the same mistake in Penang.

Apart from making the monorail system accessible, the authorities need to look into making the area around the stations and other support services barrier-free too.

Walkways, pedestrian crossings and ramps must be free from obstacles that may endanger users and prevent them from reaching the stations.

A system of non-step and low-floor feeder buses should be put in service to complement the monorail.

PETER TAN,

Pro tem president,

Society for Independent Living Penang.

Below is the original text of the letter that I sent:

RE: BARRIER-FREE PENANG MONORAIL

As a Penangite, I am elated by your front page news (Projects for Penang given the green light - The Star, Aug 3) that a monorail system is to be built in Penang. As a wheelchair user, I see this as a convenient and affordable option to move around. The public bus system is in a pathetic state and does not cater to the needs of people like me. Lets not even talk about the taxis that are currently on strike.

As I have stated in my blog (http://www.petertan.com/blog/2006/08/03/training-my-sights-on-the-penang-monorail/), it is imperative that the Penang Monorail is barrier-free from Day One. Accessible facilities should not be added as an afterthought or included as a special feature. Disabled persons, senior citizens and pregnant women constitute a substantial portion of our society. There is a real need for ramps and elevators for our convenience.

There should be no excuse not to make the monorail system accessible to all. The Kelana Jaya Line, formerly known as Putra-LRT, is a fine example of a barrier-free rail system. Likewise, the KLIA Express is fully accessible and has foldable seats to accommodate wheelchair users.

In January this year, the Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat and the Japan International Cooperation Agency sent me and two other wheelchair users to Tokyo for training on Independent Living. What impressed me most was that I could go anywhere around Tokyo by using the monorails, trains, subways and buses with little difficulty.

It was very common to see the severely disabled using electric wheelchairs around train stations in Tokyo. Personally, I enjoyed the liberation of being able to move freely in a foreign city. When I returned, I experienced a reverse culture shock. Public transportation in Malaysia is mostly inaccessible to wheelchair users. I felt very confined.

Our neighbouring countries, Singapore and Thailand, are adding elevators to their city rail systems in stages. They have recognised the need for such facilities. It would have cost a lot less had the elevators been incorporated into the initial structure. We should not make the same mistakes in Penang.

Apart from just making the monorail system accessible, the authorities need to look into making the vicinity around the stations and other support services barrier-free too. It would be ironic that walkways and pedestrian crossings leading the stations are full of obstacles that may endanger users.

A system of non-step and low-floor feeder buses should be put in service to complement the monorail. This will make it a complete transportation system that everyone can use. This is what my disabled friends and I would like to see in the Penang Monorail.

Does Jeff Ooi like his soup piping hot? I would like to think so because he has just gotten himself into one again. He was implicated for a comment that someone left in his blog. P. Gunasegaram, theSun and Nexnews Group Executive Editor, lodged a complaint with the Communications and Multimedia Content Forum against Jeff for allowing a comment that was interpreted as to incite people to cause bodily harm to Gunasegaram.

Is this the shape of things to come for the blogosphere in Malaysia? Will this incident intimidate blog readers enough for them to stop leaving comments? Or if they do leave comments, will it be sterile? Will bloggers moderate comments or disable the commenting function once and for all? Will bloggers be subjected to multi-million ringgit lawsuits like one that befell on the late MGG Pillai?

Those who live by the sword die by the sword. Bloggers should not be any different. We are bound by the laws of the country. I opted not to blog anonymously for the simple reason that if my details are easily available, I will be more vigilant in what I write and not run foul of the law. The moment we put up an entry, we must realise that we are liable for it, for better or worse. Therefore, we have to be responsible for what we write. We also have to be responsible for what other people leave in our blogs. That is how this game is being played.

There have been attempts by several quarters to stifle the progress of blogs as an alternative medium for disseminating information not published in the mainstream media. While I agree that some bloggers have used it to further their malicious agendas, most of us are using it in a responsible manner.

Jeff may be opinionated. That is not a bad thing. As it is this country is full of sycophants willing to sell their souls for fatter bank accounts. Despite his idiosyncrasies, Jeff has done a lot to reveal the other side of the coin of the Malaysian socio-political arena. As a fellow blogger and a citizen, I support what he has been doing although I may not agree with some of the methods he employed.

No. we should not shoot Jeff Ooi the messenger. Instead, together with him, we should attempt to use whatever rights we have to reveal the misdeeds that are robbing us blind and propagate a society that is fair and just to all, irrespective of creed or colour. That is a Malaysia that I envision. I believe it is one that many of you desire too. And we as bloggers can play a part in realising that common dream.

Tokyo Tama Intercity Monorail - Manganji Station

The announcement that the Cabinet has agreed to build a second bridge linking Penang to the mainland and a monorail system for the island is cause for celebration. I am most interested in the monorail. It is a good alternative to other modes of public transportation, namely the public bus that is in shambles, and the cut-throat taxi service that many cannot afford.

Since the monorail project is still in its preliminary planning stages, I would love to know if there are provisions to include accessible features like ramps, elevators and toilets. There should not even be a need for disabled persons to put in a request for such facilities. The concessionaires together with the relevant government ministries should and must make this monorail line as convenient as possible to everyone who will be using it.

It should not reach a stage where disabled persons need to resort to staging protests and demonstrations for accessible facilities like what happened to the Star-LRT in 1994. When it was built, the line did not incorporate those facilities. To add insult to injury, the management came out with a less than satisfactory statement.

“It all started off with Star-LRT executive director making a public announcement that they are not going to take disabled passengers,” Christine Lee recounted to me. She is the coordinator of a coalition of NGOs that organised a protest after the release of that statement. “The reasons cited was that disabled persons pose dangers to others during emergencies.”

Talk about frogs in a coconut shell. Regrettably, disabled persons still cannot ride on the Star-LRT line. It is now renamed the Ampang & Sri Petaling Line. Likewise, the government did not compel the developer of the KL Monorail to incorporate accessible facilities into the stations. Putra-LRT, now known as the Kelana Jaya Line, is the only city rail transit that has ramps and elevators at its stations.

These exclusions are most tragic. Disabled persons, the elderly and pregnant women who cannot go up the numerous flights of steps have no choice but are forced to use others modes of transport. The government should take heed the serious omissions by Star-LRT and KL Monorail. As a comparison, the Tokyo Tama Intercity Monorail that I had to take every evening when I was in Tokyo was as accessible as it could be. Even if I had to travel alone, I could have managed without a problem around the stations. The only hitch was the difference in height between the platforms and the trains. Nevetheless, the driver was more than willing to assist when needed.

We should also learn from our two immediate neighbours with regards to accessible facilities of rail systems. The Singapore MRT and the Bangkok Skytrain had to add elevators after the completion of the respective lines. It would have been more cost efficient had it been built into the original structure. Still, not all the stations are accessible. To their credit, they are adding elevators in stages to solve the issue. Are Star-LRT and KL Monorail planning to make their stations accessible anytime soon? Your guess is a good as mine.

Therefore, it is imperative that the Penang Monorail is barrier-free from Day One. It is not only the stations and trains that must bear such friendly designs. Walkways, kerb ramps and pedestrian crossings must be built in the areas surrounding the stations. Non-step low-floor feeder buses should be acquired and put into service to make it a system that is totally barrier-free.

It would be great if accessible designs are integrated at the conceptual stages without promptings. However, knowing how things work in Malaysia, pressure will be needed to ensure that whatever that is needed is in place and properly constructed. The government, the concessionaire and NGOs should work together in a win-win situation for everyone involved. After all, this project is for the benefit of all. As stakeholders and Penangites, we should have a say in it, too.

In concluding his thesis titled “Let a Hundred Flowers Bloom: Digital Speech in Malaysia”, Tang Hang Wu noted, “Whether this community will be allowed to continue to exist in its current form is an open question.” Tang is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore. The following is the abstract of his thesis:

The thesis of this paper is that in some societies blogs are beginning to act as a force for democratization and perform the role of being an alternative form of media. Blogging amplifies the cultural and participatory elements of free speech by enabling more people to take part in the spread of ideas and the dissemination of information. By publishing online, bloggers not only rout around prohibitive financial hurdles to media production but also overcome some laws that restrict freedom of expression. This essay focuses on a Malaysian case study of bloggers who are now a formidable force in disseminating information and promoting a democratic culture in the country despite laws that restrict free speech in the country. This essay also reflects on the salient lessons gleaned from the Malaysian experience which might be relevant to the project of constructing a successful blogging scene in the Middle East and other authoritarian or soft-authoritarian regimes.

We need to wonder no more. The day of reckoning for Malaysian bloggers is finally here. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi warned that those using blogs and the Internet to spread rumours and slander would be detained for undermining the nation’s economic policies. The Star quoted him saying, “We cannot allow such matters to flow through uncontrolled.”

But this is nothing new. Many of us will remember that Jeff Ooi, the pioneer of Malaysian socio-political blogs, was hauled up by the police in February 2005 for a controversial comment left in his blog. In January 2003, online news portal Malaysiakini had its servers carted away by the police for refusing to reveal the author of a letter critical of special rights accorded to Bumiputras. Going further back to September 1998, four persons were arrested and charged in court for spreading rumours of a riot in Chow Kit via emails and newsgroups.

As Jeff succinctly put it: “What is illegal offline is also illegal online.”

To all intents and purposes, the Internet is not a frontier of lawlessness and should not be treated as such. We are still bound by the laws of the state. As evident from past incidents, the police have no qualms in coming down hard on those who were deemed to have stepped over the line.

All said, it is still surprising that the Prime Minister has come out with this statement now. It does not bode well for the Malaysian blogosphere, especially for socio-political bloggers who have been furnishing alternative news and those not carried by mainstream media.

Will little birds brave the threats and continue to supply insider news? Will bloggers dare to write as boldly as before? The wheel has been set in motion. The noose is slowly but surely being tightened. The flowers are no longer blooming. Whither digital speech in Malaysia?