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What is the point of keeping her body when her heart, mind and soul are elsewhere already? It does not matter what her religion is recorded as in official documents, or whether her name is Lina Joy or Azlina Jailani. All these are temporal. Ultimately, like everyone else, she will have to go meet her Maker one day. Whatever faith she chooses, let God, and God alone, judge her on that when that day arrives.
There is actually a life for me apart from advocating for an accessible public transport system in Malaysia and working on disability-related projects. This blog however has been telling a different story. Lately, there are only entries after entries of cut and paste news and updates on activities of the Barrier-Free Environment and Accessible Transport Group (BEAT). Admittedly, these issues take up a fair bit of my time. Nevertheless whenever possible I always try to squeeze in a little leisure time in between to free my mind from too much clutter.
Despite the hectic weekend when we were in Penang two weeks ago, Wuan and I managed to take a leisurely stroll along the promenade at Gurney Drive that Sunday morning. The pungent smell of the sea and mud was unmistakable. The tide was out. Towering casuarina trees standing between the sea and the promenade provided some shade from the fast rising sun. Although much has changed since my preteen days, images of digging for siputs by the beach are still very vivid in my mind. What once was a beautiful white sandy beach is now reduced to a smelly mud plain filled with indiscriminately strewn litter.
Gurney Drive is still one of the few places in Penang that never fails to evoke memories of a time long gone. In the serenity of the morning, I desperately tried to recapture the once familiar sight and sound of the ice cream man. He had a box securely fastened to the back of his bicycle. It would be laden with ice cream on the inside and ice cream cones in transparent plastic bags hanging on the outside. The familiar rhythmic ringing of his bell was such sweet sound to my ears. I thought I heard the ringing again that morning.
It was after looking around in futility for the source of the ringing that I realised the child in me who still yearned for those good old days rang the bell inside my head. Life was less complicated then. Perhaps it was my subconscious way of trying to shut out the rigours of the present. With that realisation the bell stopped ringing. There and then I knew that I have embarked on a journey that is taking me further and further away from this island that I have called home for forty years.
The sea was rushing back in. The salty smell still lingered in my nostrils. The heat from the sun was becoming unbearable. I wished that time would stand still for a moment so that I could savour that one second a little longer. But time and tide waits for no one. All I could do was hope that ten years from now I can still remember the nostalgia I felt that morning. I was overcome by sadness. I realised that each time I return to Penang and leave again, my ties with this island unravels a little more.
Thirteen representatives from the Barrier-Free Environment Group (BEAT) attended a meeting chaired by the Timbalan Ketua Setiausaha (Perancangan) Kementerian Pengangkutan Malaysia Datuk Long See Wool together with representatives from related government agencies Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan (JPJ / Road Transport Department), Lembaga Perlesenan Kenderaan Perdagangan (LPKP / Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board), Jabatan Penerbangan Awam (Department of Civil Aviation), Jabatan Laut Malaysia (Marine Department Malaysia); service providers Malaysia Airport Holdings Berhad (MAHB), Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM), Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAS) and Rangkaian Pengangkutan Integrasi Deras Sdn. Bhd. (RapidKL). This first meeting was held at the Kementerian Pengangkutan Malaysia in Putrajaya.
During the meeting, BEAT stressed on the importance of an accessible public transport system in Malaysia and that transport operators should use the term “universal accessibility” instead of “disabled friendly”. The term “disabled friendly” gives a connotation that such transport are especially for disabled persons only when in reality it also benefits senior citizens, pregnant women and adults with prams, among others.
BEAT called on the ministry in cooperation with the LPKP to draw up guidelines and standards for accessibility of public transport and to ensure that all new buses of all bus operators are accessible. With regards to vehicle modifications for disabled persons, the Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan was requested to simplify the application process and reduce the number of trips applicants have to make to Putrajaya. On the issue of licenses being tagged to a specific car, JPJ clarified that it was not an official procedure and that they will look into it.
Briefly, the other issues that were brought up touched on the timeframe to make all public transport accessible including buses, monorails and trains. At the same time, supporting infrastructure such as transport hubs, terminals and connecting pathways should be made accessible too without which the accessible transport would rendered unusable. The many points raised during the meeting were compiled into a document from feedback and suggestions by BEAT members and presented to Datuk Long and all present. All parties agreed to look into the issues raised and where possible resolve them before the next meeting.
Opinion
Wednesday May 23, 2007AT THE recently held Forum on Public Transport for Disadvantaged Groups in Penang, State Executive Councillor Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan was quoted in the media as saying that a survey on the needs of the wheelchair-bound would be conducted before RapidPenang can introduce disabled friendly buses for them.
He then went on to say “we must first identify the main areas where wheelchair-bound passengers live and the places they normally travel to.”
The Women’s Centre for Change, Penang (WCC), as one of the organisers to this forum, would like to highlight two basic issues.
The discussion on disabled friendly buses should not focus on the needs of the wheelchair users alone. At the forum, the additional difficulties faced by the visually impaired, the hearing impaired and the intellectually impaired when they use public transport were also voiced.
Hence a more holistic approach to providing barrier-free public transport for all is required. When considering the needs of the disabled, it is not just the bus which needs modification but also the access route/pavement to the bus stop, the bus stop itself and very importantly the attitudes of the bus driver and the conductor (if any).
The comment that “we must first identify the main areas where wheelchair-bound passengers live and the places they normally travel to” suggest that there is no comprehension that a) disabled people live everywhere and b) disabled people may choose to go anywhere.
The state of the public transport in Penang is effectively denying disabled people this right of freedom of movement and hence opportunities to participate in and contribute to society.
It is obvious that those involved in making and implementing policy decisions regarding public transport need to be informed and sensitised regarding the broader issue of disability, the rights of the disabled and independent living.
PREMA DEVARAJ,
Women’s Centre for Change, Penang.
Basically, my presentation at the Forum on Public Transport for Disadvantaged Groups was to debunk the baseless arguments perpetrated by RapidKL CEO Rein Westra and Penang State Traffic Management Committee Chairman Dato’ Dr. Teng Hock Nan on accessible public transport with regards to wheelchair users.
First fallacy
The roads in Penang are said to be bumpy and are not suitable for non-step buses. It is ironic that we can build one of the best highway network in Asia but we cannot even construct proper roads in the cities. But that is beside the point. This was the same excuse given by RapidKL CEO Rein Westra when BEAT met him in October 20, 2006 which was minuted as follows:
“Christine then asked what would prevent Rapid KL from buying non-step buses from now on. Westra explained that low floor non-step buses were too low to drive on KL roads…..”
Now we have 100 low floor non-step buses all over the Klang Valley. The road condition in the KL is still the same in October last year and now.
Second fallacy
Newspaper report quoted Dr. Teng as saying that:
“The state government will bring in buses equipped with facilities for wheelchair passengers once the new RapidPenang bus system is running smoothly.”
(The Star - April 26, 2007: Buses for disabled later)
How long will it take before the RapidPenang bus system can run smoothly? Six months? One year? Two years? RapidKL has been in operation since 2004 but the system is still far from perfect. What if the bus system is still not running smoothly after ten years?
If you ask bus users in KL, many will tell you that RapidKL is not running smoothly. If you ask RapidKL, they will admit that their bus schedule is still not perfect. RapidKL buses are supposed to run every 15 minutes during peak periods. A lot of times, the interval between buses are between 30 to 45 minutes.
Nevertheless, come June 1, RapidKL will be launching 100 accessible buses in the Klang Valley. Is there anything that RapidKL can do that RapidPenang cannot do? If RapidKL can use accessible buses that includes the needs of disabled persons when their service is still not running smoothly, whey can’t RapidPenang do the same?
Third fallacy
In the same newspaper report, Dr. Teng was also quoted saying as follows:
“…buses with facilities for wheelchair passengers would have to stop longer for boarding and could disrupt arrival schedules.”
(The Star - April 26, 2007: Buses for disabled later)
Accessible buses have come long way from the early days when lifts were fitted to get wheelchairs into high-platform buses. Boarding a passenger on wheelchair with the lift can take up to five minutes. The advancement in bus building technology and design has brought about the proliferation of non-step buses where unassisted boarding time for a wheelchair user was considerably reduced to less than one minute. On May 17, Christine timed herself boarding one of RapidKL’s accessible buses. It took her less than one minute to get into the bus. A well-trained driver can do a four-point strap tiedown in less than one minute. Is a two-minute delay too much? Is it even considered a delay?
Bus schedules can be disrupted by many other factors including weather and traffic conditions, drivers slowing down to have a good look at the number plate of cars involved in accidents so that they can go buy 4D later, buses breaking down and passengers digging their purse for loose change, parents with 5 kids in tow and senior citizens who have mobility problems. Picking up passengers will also delay bus schedules. Wheelchairs users should not be blamed for delays that can be caused by so many of these factors.
To put the blame of bus delays solely on wheelchair users is akin to blaming wheelchair users for slowing down the progress of our country. There is such a thing called reasonable accommodation where if it does not cause undue hardship to others, it should be provided. Is a 2-minute delay considered undue hardship? Many of us have experienced traffic jams that delay our journeys by 30 minutes or more. Who should we blame for the traffic jams?
Fourth Fallacy
Again, I am going to quote Mr. Rein Westra who said he “did not have time to find out what different users needed from buses” because when he took up the position as CEO of RapidKL in 2004, he only had 2 weeks to decide on the type of buses to get. Fair enough.
There is no reason now after so many months of being educated on the needs of disabled persons and wheelchair users, why RapidPenang, which is a subsidiary of RapidKL and shares the same management and technical expertise, is still making the same mistakes that RapidKL made. Looks like bus operators pun mudah lupa. Looks like we have a lot of people who do not know what they are talking about in positions of power.
Public transport must be for all, not only for people who can walk. In fact, disabled persons need transport even more as many of us cannot afford other modes of transport such as taxis. I just got my driving license but given a choice, I would prefer public transport over driving the reason being that I need to transfer into the car and need someone to store my wheelchair in the boot and reverse the process when I reach my destination. With an accessible public transport, I do not need to get off my wheelchair to go anywhere. An accessible public transport is even more crucial for persons with severe physical impairments as they cannot be easily transferred without the assistance of two or more carers. Do we have a government that cares enough to resolve this problem? Sometimes I wonder if we even have a government that cares.
Related entry:
The Star - May 21, 2007: Group: Survey not necessary
NST - May 20, 2007: Disabled want access to buses
Memorandum Regarding Accessible Buses For Disabled Persons To Dato’ Dr Teng Hock Nan
The Star - May 20, 2007: Survey on needs of the wheelchair-bound
Forum on Public Transport for Disadvantaged Groups
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