There is nothing appetizing about this ramp.
File photo dated December 29, 2007.
Photo by Wuan.

Sooka Sentral is one of the newest landmark in Kuala Lumpur. It is located opposite the Stesen Sentral departure entrance. Both Sooka Sentral and Stesen Sentral are part of the Kuala Lumpur Sentral (KL Sentral) project that is being promoted as Malaysia’s largest transit hub.

This is the ramp leading to Sooka Sentral. This is an example of building a ramp for the sake of building a ramp. It does not serve any purpose except to show that there is a ramp leading to the building. No wheelchair user can get himself up that ramp, not even with assistance. Besides, there is no curb ramp from the road to this particular ramp. Wuan had to lift my wheelchair up a six inch curb to get to it.

RapidPenang is going to add another 50 buses to its current fleet by the end of the year. The million ringgit question is: Are these buses of the non-step type that wheelchair users can use? If not, where are the promised buses to cater to the needs of disabled people? There was no mention of whether disabled people can use these buses or if they are accessible. My guess is that they are not.

Many of my disabled friends in Penang are unable to go anywhere because there is no accessible public transport in the island. They have to give up schooling because they cannot go to school. Without an education, they are unable to find gainful employment. Many of them practically have no social life because they are stuck at home most of the time.

Disabled people are the most disadvantaged and marginalised in any society, Malaysia included. Many are living in poverty. Their plight are mostly ignored and forgotten. It is regrettable the previous government in Penang did little to change the situation, preferring to give all sorts of excuses to exclude the needs of disabled people from using public transport. I truly hope the new Chief Minister of Penang Lim Guan Eng will seriously resolve this matter for once and for all.

RapidPenang to get 50 more buses
By Melissa Darlyne Chow

14 March, 2008

GEORGE TOWN: RapidPenang will be adding 50 buses to its fleet by the end of the year. This is due to increasing demand from residents in south Kedah and north Perak.

Its chief executive officer, Azhar Ahmad, said new routes were being planned in places such as Kuala Muda, Penaga and Kepala Batas.

“People in Kulim and Padang Serai in Kedah have also requested for buses to ply the routes there.

“We now only have 150 buses, so we are planning to add more by the end of the year,” he said after an appreciation ceremony for its bus captains here yesterday.

Azhar said people now had more confidence in RapidPenang as the company practised transparency and accountability.

He said exemplary bus captains, such as Ibrahim Abdullah, who had stopped to help three snatch victims get police help in Bukit Minyak two months ago, were also one of the factors which boosted people’s confidence in RapidPenang.

On the state government’s plans to have other competitors ply the routes as a way to improve the public transportation system, Azhar said competitiveness was not a factor.

“It is more about providing on-time and efficient service. We welcome the competition, and we also look forward to working closely with the state government to improve the public transportation system.”

Now we have four state governments in Kedah, Penang, Perak and Selangor that are not from the Barisan Nasional, apart from Kelantan that has been held by PAS for the last 18 years. What can the common people expect from this radical change that unexpectedly swept through the entire nation? What can disabled people expect from the Chief Minister of Penang, the Menteri Besars of Kedah, Perak and Selangor? What can disabled people expect from the local governments in terms of accessibility to the built environment and other services provided by these authorities?

In all sincerity, I fervently pray that disabled people will get a better deal from now on. Accessibility to the built environment still poses a major stumbling block to the mobility and independence of disabled people all over Malaysia. As much a we would like to become part of the community that we live in, many of us are still unable to get out from our homes safely because the surrounding areas are fraught with barriers and dangers.

These include walkways without functional ramps for wheelchair users and tactile indicators for the blind. In addition to that, street furniture such as lampposts, signboards and various utility boxes are indiscriminately positioned along the walkways. Some walkways have uncovered manholes. These not only obstruct the passage but poses potential risk of injury to disabled people but to non-disabled people as well.

Oftentimes, by building ramps and placing the wheelchair logo to the doors of toilets, these places are said to be accessible and “disabled-friendly.” This is a very misleading notion. I have encountered ramps that are too steep, too slippery, too long or do not have railings. Such ramps are not functional and are dangerous. I have fallen while using a few. A spacious toilet or one with the wheelchair logo does not necessarily make it suitable for wheelchair users. Grabs bars, toilet bowls, sinks, water hose and even the door itself must be of a certain height and feature for them to be functional

There are standards for such facilities. The Standards & Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia (SIRIM) has published the Malaysian Standard 1184 (MS 1184) and Malaysian Standard 1331 (MS 1331) specifically for this purpose. MS 1184 pertains to access for disabled persons to public buildings while MS 1331 is on access outside buildings. The code of practice for these two standards is often ignored. Builders are often left to do their own interpretation of such facilities. Interpretation of such facilities from the viewpoint of non-disabled persons or persons who have no understanding of disability most times render such facilities unusable.

The local governments such as the Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya (MBPJ) and Majlis Perbandaran Ampang Jaya (MPAJ) are responsible in ensuring that those standards are adhered to in public buildings and public amenities. Little has been done to by these authorities with regards to that. A cursory survey of the areas under these two authorities provides ample proof of that fact. My letters to the MPAJ President complaining of dangerous and inaccessible walkways never got a reply. This is another proof that problems of disabled people pertaining to accessibility in the built environment are often ignored and forgotten.

Therefore it is with great hope that with the change in political climate, issues faced by disabled people with regards to accessibility will be given more attention. The new state governments and local authorities have the means to resolve this matter if they are serious about it. One of the ways is to mainstream disability - to accept that disability is society’s problems rather than that of a minority of individuals. Disabled people must be involved in all levels of decision making on matters that affect them. I hope the new powers that be seriously take note of this. We have been ignored and marginalised for far too long. The current development has given us some glimmer of optimism. I hope I am right about this.

View from the top at Victor Chin’s photo exhibition at KLPac.
Photo by Wuan.

Wuan and I spent a very casual and enjoyable afternoon at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPac). Our friend Victor Liew had invited me to join him there and I readily agreed as we had nothing planned for Sunday. Besides, we had always wanted to go to KLPac as we have read so much about it, especially the events that were hosted there.

Peter Tan, Victor Chin and Victor Liew at KLPac.

We woke up late on the appointed day. The trip to Ipoh the day before wore us out. When we reached Sentul, we lost our way and had to ask for directions at a petrol station. The attendant there was very helpful and drew a map for us. When we finally reached KLPac, we were already one hour late. Nevertheless, the other Victor who was also the host for the event made us feel at home the moment we stepped in.

With Victor Chin and friends.

The gracious host Victor Chin is a multimedia artist. He was exhibiting his collection of photographs titled In the Face of Disability. In fact, back in 2005, TV Smith had invited me to view Victor’s first photography exhibition on disabled people. Unfortunately, I had another engagement on the same day and had to give it a miss.

Godfrey Ooi and friends entertaining guests at Victor Chin’s photo exhibition.
Photo by Wuan.

This exhibition is the second series of Victor’s work on subjects with conditions that I am familiar with. It features 30 black and white photographs of Malaysian athletes in action or at rest. They are members of the Malaysian paralympic team. I must admit that I have never watched disabled athletes in action and wondered the kind of message Victor wanted to express through those images.

With Victor Chin and and his exhibits.
Photo by Wuan.

I am not one who knows how to appreciate good art but believe Victor had meant to illustrate the diversity of humankind – that we do not need to be “perfect” to be good at what we do. In essence, no human is perfect but we are living in an imperfect world that demands perfection from people we deem imperfect. That is a fact and the hypocrisy that disabled people have to face with everyday. What struck me most in those images was that they were faces of people just like you and I, faces of regular people doing things we thought they could never do. They did and excelled at it.

Victor Chin’s In the face of Disability photo exhibition at KLPac.

At the same time, I also hope that audience who have viewed Victor’s work on this subject will not use these athletes as a benchmark on other disabled people. It would be a gross mistake to assume that all disabled people can attain the same achievement with sheer hard work. We have to respect that there are people who are contented with what they are doing now without the need to be super achievers and that it is all right to be a regular disabled person.

Group photo of Victor Chin’s guests at his photo exhibition at KLPac.
Photo by Wuan.

Having said that, I am already looking forward to the third series. According to Victor, it will be about people at work. He stands out as an artist who is exceptionally comfortable working with disabled people and vice versa. That is evident from the laid back composure of his subjects. I have no doubt that the third series will continue to challenge his audience’s perception of disabled people.

Dato’ Faridah Merican, Wuan, Victor Chin and Peter Tan at KLPac.

The afternoon was equally fulfilling as I got to meet old friends like Godfrey who was entertaining guests at the exhibition with his guitar together with his friends who got out of their harmonicas in ways I never thought possible. Back in 1983, Godfrey and I were the guitarists for a group of carollers consisting of Scouts and Girl Guides. I just realised I have known him for a quarter of a century already. I cannot but have to admit that I am advancing in age. Victor also introduced Wuan and I to renowned thespian Dato’ Faridah Merican when she arrived towards the end of the event. One thing that I am sure is that Wuan and I will be visiting KLPac often from now onwards, all thanks to Victor and Victor.

Note:
Victor Chin’s In the Face of Disability photo exhibition runs from January 14 - February 19 2008 at the KLPac.