The ADUN for Teratai YB Yap Soo Sun, Bendahari Kelab Sukan Komuniti Dun Teratai En. Mohd. Aznam Mohd. Zain, fellow advocate Wang Siew Ming and I went on a walkabout around Pandan Perdana just now. I had copied 2 complaint mails to YB Yap regarding the lamp post in the middle of the walkway that caused Wuan and I to fall onto the road in May last year. Read this, this and this for context.

Wang and I went to see YB Yap in May to follow up with the issue as it was still not resolved one year later. The offending lamp post has since been relocated. Additionally, we proposed to YB Yap to upgrade the commonly used stretch of walkways in Pandan Perdana into an accessible one as this will not only benefit disabled persons but senior citizens, pregnant women and adults with prams as well.

Apart from the walkways, YB Yap has also agreed to build a ramp at the 7-11 store and another at the Hong Leong Bank. He informed us that his application for a grant for this purpose had just been approved. We presented him with a copy of the Malaysian Standard 1331 (1993) Code of Practice for Access for Disabled People Outside Buildings to ensure that the renovations were properly done.

This is a positive development in the advocacy campaign on accessibility. In time, I hope that the entire Pandan Perdana will be fully accessible and eventually all the areas under the jurisdiction of Majlis Perbandaran Ampang Jaya. I look forward to the day when I can move around conveniently around this area without having to risk life and limb.

This is the first morning in many weeks that I have actually woken up refreshed and raring to go.

As a citizen of Malaysia, I hereby object to the suggestion to send the second astronaut into space at the cost of US$30mil (RM102mil) as reported by The Star (Normal to pick space crew at the last minute, says JJ - Tuesday September 25, 2007).

“If Malaysians want him to be sent to space too, I will raise the matter up with the Cabinet. He is after all, ready and able.

He added that the cost of sending the second Malaysian astronaut was estimated to be US$30mil (RM102mil).

This amount can be better used to improve the lives of thousands, if not millions, of our fellow Malaysians. I speak from the viewpoint of a disabled person. This money can be utilised to make the environment and public transport accessible, and support people with severe disabilities who are practicing independent living. These include providing funds for personal assistants and other support services. RM102mil is a lot of money and it should be used judiciously to benefit the most number of people.

For starters, the people at RapidKL kept saying that they do not have the money to make the public transport system under their management accessible. This RM102mil can go a log way towards achieving that. I have spoken to the State Assemblyman for Teratai YB Yap Soo Sun who said that Majlis Perbandaran Ampang Jaya does not have the funds to upgrade the walkways in Pandan Perdana into accessible ones because of the shortage of funds. RM102mil can do wonders to make all the walkways accessible. These are two examples how the RM102mil can be better spent. Why look so far away into outer space when things that are right before our eyes still need a lot of money and work? Lets get the priorities right here.

Related entry:
Malaysian Going To Outer Space, Disabled Persons Still Stuck At Home

How embarrassing can it be when a team that represents Malaysia has to look to foreign sponsors to partially fund their participation in an international sports event? According to The Star in today’s report “Spurned by local sponsors”, Special Olympics Malaysia chairman Joseph Lau Tee Sun “couriered and faxed letters to the Youth and Sports Ministry, the Education Ministry and the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry” and “only the Youth and Sports Ministry sent a letter dated Aug 8 stating that it had no funds.”

Guess where all the funds of the Youth and Sports Ministry went to. Paying RM224 for a set of four screwdrivers that costs RM40, among others, according to the Auditor General’s Report as reported by The Star on September 9 2007 in “Paying through those nose for tools“.

According to Joseph Lau, “the total expenses for the trip works out to RM150,000, including food, accommodation, training and sports attire. Eight coaches and two officials will accompany the athletes.” That is a paltry sum as compared to what the government paid for 13 items highlighted in the Auditor General’s Report where “the Government paid RM8.39mil more than the market price at that time.”

That is correct. While we do not have the funds to support deserving athletes participating in the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Shanghai next month, we have enough money to squander RM8mil more than what those 13 items were worth.

In the end, Royal Brunei Airlines stepped forward to sponsor half the airfares. Even Malaysia Airlines, our national airlines that had to be bailed out several times with taxpayers’ money refused to do anything to assist those athletes. So what if Malaysia Airlines won international awards for its service and other whatnots? It certainly is not going to win any award for its corporate social responsibility. And as for the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, lets not talk about Malaysia as a masyarakat penyanyang. This episode has proved otherwise, especially when the government is not playing its part. Apa macam Malaysia?

The Star
Nation
Sunday September 23, 2007

Spurned by local sponsors

By CHRISTINA KOH

Special athletes get help from Brunei to get to Shanghai.

IPOH: After months of failing to get any help locally, 20 athletes from the Special Olympics Malaysia squad sought the assistance of a foreign airline to help fund their airfares.

And much to their relief, Royal Brunei Airlines agreed to sponsor half the airfares to enable the athletes to participate in the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Shanghai next month.

We are going: Lau assuring some of the special athletes who will be representing Malaysia during the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Shanghai next month.
Special Olympics Malaysia chairman Joseph Lau Tee Sun said it would be the first time that Malaysia would be represented in the international event on merit, as its previous participation was by invitation only.

“A country can only officially take part in the World Special Olympics after hosting its own national Special Olympics games, which we did last year in Kota Kinabalu,” he added.

Lau, a Taiping municipal councillor, said he was deeply disappointed that no state or federal agency he approached was willing to sponsor even a “fraction” of the expenses. Even Malaysia Airlines turned down his request for assistance.

The total expenses for the trip works out to RM150,000, including food, accommodation, training and sports attire. Eight coaches and two officials will accompany the athletes.

“Since early this year, I couriered and faxed letters to the Youth and Sports Ministry, the Education Ministry and the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry,” he said, adding that only the Youth and Sports Ministry sent a letter dated Aug 8 stating that it had no funds.

Lau felt that the lack of interest on the part of the authorities here could be due to a lack of awareness on the sporting event.

“People think the Special Olympics is just a telematch, but it is much more than that. Almost 7,500 athletes from 165 countries will be competing,” he added.

To cut costs, Lau said the contingent would rent batik shirts from Terengganu for the opening parade and formal events.

The athletes, aged between 15 and 28, will compete in athletics, bowling and bocce (a precision sport closely related to bowls) at the games scheduled from Oct 2 to 11.

American Eunice Kennedy Shriver founded the Special Olympics World Games in 1968 for people with intellectual disabilities to compete in 30 Olympic-type summer and winter sports.

Low-protein meal.

My flight was scheduled to depart at 1.00 am. The usual procedure is to board wheelchair users first and then the other non-disabled passengers. As I was transferring from my wheelchair to the aisle chair outside the aircraft, the other passengers were already boarding the plane. This annoyed the escort who was assigned to assist me as he had difficulty trying to get me into the aircraft with the other passengers streaming in.

Land ho! Somewhere over South Korea.

The first thing that I did after I was comfortably seated inside the aircraft was to ask one of the cabin crews if they have the aisle chair that I had requested. Unfortunately, there was none. However, he said that he will carry me to the toilet if needed. I glanced at the toilet at the midsection of the plane and asked him how I was going to fit into it. He just smiled at me. The journey took about six and a half hours. Prior to boarding I had also emptied my bladder and controlled my fluid intake. But my diaper was fast filling up.

Accessible toilet: Green button to open; red button to close.

When the plane finally touched down at Incheon International Airport, my diaper was almost full. To add insult to injury, I was informed that there was no request for an aisle chair to get me out of the plane. A Malaysia Airline staff at the airport offered to carry me. I had to agree as I was afraid that my diaper would leak anytime soon. As he lifted me up from the seat, my head hit against the overhead compartment with a loud thud. He apologised profusely for that incident later at the arrival lounge.

The welcoming party for the 7th DPI World Assembly at Incheon International Airport.

At that time, the only thing that was in my mind was to look for a toilet to empty my bladder and change diapers. The first toilet that we stopped by was occupied. We went to the next. It was a déjà vu. The toilet was similar to those that I was so used to in Tokyo. It was fitted with the green and red buttons for opening and closing the door.

The Golden Arches beckoning at the Incheon International Airport.

At the arrival hall, I saw a sweet young woman holding up a placard of the Disabled People’s International World Assembly and waved at her. She asked if I was attending the DPI WA. I said “Yes,” and she led us to the reception counter for us to catch our ride to the hotel. While waiting for our transport, I loitered around. One airport is the same as the other. The difference with this airport is that there were more security personnel patrolling the premises in twos. Just opposite the counter where we were waiting were the familiar colours and sights of McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken.