Peter Tan – The Digital Awakening
Living One Day At A Time
A few concerned friends asked me over IM whether the 100 accessible buses have arrived and put into service. The Tuesday that just passed was exactly one month since the campaign by a group of wheelchair users to highlight the inaccessibility of public buses in Kuala Lumpur. I have no answer to that and I cannot say anything more than what I have written here. Malaysia Boleh? Hahahahaha…
This was sent to Letters to the Editor of The Star on September 28, 2006 but was not published.
Malaysia is heading for exciting times as the nation celebrates its 50th anniversary of independence next year. Around that time, we will have a cosmonaut in the International Space Station (ISS) as reported in “Russia-bound astronaut candidates inspired after meeting Abdullah” (The Star, September 27, 2006). This puts another feather in the cap to mark our achievements as a maturing nation.
While we wait in anticipation for the day one of our own steps into the ISS orbiting 350 km above us, it is ironic that a group of people back home here in on Earth cannot move around conveniently, even for distances a fraction of that to the ISS.
In the haste to improve the public transport system in the Klang Valley, disabled persons are once again left out in the planning. None of the new Rapid KL buses are accessible to wheelchair users. Even senior citizens have problems boarding the buses because of the unfriendly height of its steps.
Disabled persons are disillusioned by empty promises. There was a protest in 1994 when it was apparent that STAR LRT was not accessible. 12 years later, wheelchair users still cannot use the trains because there are no elevators up to the platform, or use any public transport for that matter.
We are beginning to wonder if our needs will ever be addressed. Do we need to resort to staging demonstrations and protests again to get our voices heard? For what it is worth, it is an uphill battle for us all the way and all the time.
What does it take for the government to realise that accessible public transport is an urgent need without which we cannot do much. We have to miss out on education and work opportunities. This makes us even more disadvantaged.
The often heard excuse of not including accessible facilities is the cost factor. How can we put a price on the rights of fellow citizens? Public transport is for all, irrespective of physical condition. The needs of one group must not be at the expense of another. However, in the case of public transport, it looks like the needs of disabled persons are at the lowest of priorities.
As we anxiously wait for the first Malaysian to go into outer space, I urge to government to seriously look into the plight of disabled persons who cannot even get out from their homes. We should not look that far out when we have not even tackled challenges that are right in front of us.
All Eyes on Rapid KL – 100 Accessible Buses In 30 Days
What does it take for the government to realise that certain segments of society are often left out in the process of our country’s development? We have just celebrated the 49th year of independence of Malaysia. Have we not learnt anything from all those years of growing up as a nation?
Whether it is done intentionally or otherwise, the omission to respect the rights of disabled persons is discriminatory. The latest grouse of this community is that public buses are not accessible to wheelchair users. This issue is nothing new. I have blogged about it in a simple comparative study of Public Buses in Tokyo, Perth and Kuala Lumpur.
Late Sunday morning last week, Wuan and I gathered at the Bangsar LRT Station bus stop with more than 30 disabled persons, mostly wheelchair users, in an attempt to board the Rapid KL buses. We demonstrated how impossible it was to get into the vehicles. We called ourselves the Barrier-Free and Accessible Transport Group (BEAT). The NST reported the campaign in Disabled want better access to public transport yesterday.
BEAT Coordinator Christine Lee was concerned that no effort has been put into making public transport accessible in Malaysia, especially in Kuala Lumpur. When Katherine Chew, Senior Manager Corporate Communications Division of Rapid KL, was asked why the new buses were not made accessible to wheelchair users, she said, “When Rapid KL took over, we had to get the new buses on the road fast.”
Evidently, Rapid KL was blind to the needs of people who need to use public transport most when they ordered the buses. As a 100% government-owned company under the Ministry of Finance, this reflects badly on the government’s effort in promoting Malaysia as a masyarakat penyayang.
Next to a barrier-free environment, public transport is important in an inclusive society that respects the rights of disabled persons as citizens of equal standing. Without accessible public transport, many are stranded in their homes. They are unable to go out. They lose out on education and work opportunities. These make them even more disadvantaged.
Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun, Parliamentary Secretary to Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, who was present at the station concurred that the rights of disabled persons are enshrined in the Federal Constitution. Now that Rapid KL has been caught with their pants down, they announced that 100 new buses to be put into service next month will be equipped with ramps.
I told Katherine that I am sceptical because time and again, we were disappointed by sweet promises from various parties that were never fulfilled. Even when those promises were carried through they were done in such ways that rendered them non-functional. Good examples are ramps and toilets that do not follow good accessible designs.
For the sake of all my disabled friends who need to use public transport, I hope that those new buses are truly accessible and safe. We will not accept anything less. The countdown has begun. Will disabled persons be taken for another ride again? Time will tell. 100 accessible buses, 30 days. We are waiting anxiously.