This hiatus will do me a world of good and perhaps provide a fresh perspective on the entire issue. The work is not done yet but this workman needs to put down his tools for a while to concentrate on some personal pursuits.

I miss those days when this blog was more personal and my entries were more emotional. I hope to egg my writing on to that direction again. This also reminds me that the weekend is almost here. The one thing that I really really wish to do come Sunday is to wish Mum a “Happy Mother’s Day.”

Tiger Airways deaf to discrimination claims
Article from: Herald Sun

Jane Metlikovec with AAP

April 11, 2008 01:41pm

THE advent of low-cost airlines and zealous interpretation of safety regulations has led to discrimination against people with disabilities, experts say.

A group of deaf people from Melbourne has launched a discrimination case against Tiger Airways after the budget carrier insisted they travel with a carer last month.

But federal disability discrimination commissioner Graeme Innes says the problem isn’t limited to Tiger.

“There have been endemic problems in airlines over the past few years where people with disabilities have been refused carriage because of their disability,” Mr Innes told Sky News.

“The introduction of low-cost airlines has been one of the reasons.”

Mr Innes said they often applied unnecessarily strenuous or zealous interpretations of airline safety regulations and their staff weren’t trained well enough.

“What you get sometimes are individual decisions which are outside airline policies,” he said.

In 2006, Virgin Blue was forced to back down over its policy requiring wheelchair-bound passengers to be accompanied by a carer. It’s currently fighting a federal court case over alleged discrimination, Mr Innes said.

Last week, Mr Innes co-chaired a forum with the parliamentary secretary for disabilities services, Bill Shorten, to address the issue of how disabled people are treated by airlines.

The forum included the main airlines, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and Government representatives.

Mr Shorten said the Government was concerned that discrimination was taking place “in the name of safety”.

“But the reality is most people with impairment can understand (safety) instructions and fly,” Mr Shorten told Sky News.

Mr Shorten said Tiger was wrong to insist deaf passengers travelled with a carer.

“People who are deaf can still see and all emergency safety briefings have pictorial representations,” he said.

“Just because people are deaf doesn’t mean that they’re stupid.”

He said Qantas had the best policy: “If you can’t self-medicate and self-see then you need a carer”.

But Mr Shorten said individual flight attendants were not to blame.

Better training and awareness about disability was needed, he said.

“The airline industry needs to reach out to people with disability.”

Public servant Adrian Doyle, 38, said he was left humiliated in Tasmania last month when he, his wife Julie, and two friends, Robyn and Steve May, who are all in their 30s, were told they could board a Tiger Airways plane only if they organised - and bought a seat - for a sign language translator.

A spokesman for Tiger Airways, Matt Hobbs, told the Herald Sun the policy was in place to protect the safety of all passengers in case of emergency.

Mr Hobbs said Tiger was not looking at revising its policy to let fully capable deaf adults travel without an aide.

“The carer issue is a standard practice, and it is there to protect the safety of all passengers, and without it, the safety of passengers could be jeopardised,” he said.

But Mr Hobbs rang back five minutes later saying the Tiger policy was actually to allow deaf people to travel without a carer.

Tiger would now address Mr Doyle and his travel companions.

“We are happy to apologise to the people involved for the inconvenience and embarrassment they might have experienced,” Mr Hobbs said.

Mr Doyle, of Nunawading, has filed the complaint against Tiger with the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission under the Disability Discrimination Act.

The group was eventually permitted to take their seats on the March 4 flight from Launceston to Melbourne, after a stewardess told them they would not be allowed to travel alone again.

“The stewardess wrote on a piece of paper to me that we all require a carer on a plane because of our ‘deafness’, which sure floored me,” Mr Doyle said.

“My friends had steam coming out of their ears, and my wife was dumbfounded.

“I then took the paper and wrote that they had insulted us by saying that we require a carer, since we have all travelled a lot, and never encountered any problems with our disabilities.”

Mr Doyle double-checked the Tiger policy over the phone when he returned home, and was again told that he would be required to have a carer next time.

“I am shocked and stunned that Tiger allow themselves to discriminate against deaf people,” he said.

Anti-discrimination consultant Julie Phillips said the original Tiger policy appeared to be out of the dark ages.

“Deaf people fly every day - they do not need carers. It’s ridiculous,” Ms Phillips said.

Virgin Blue and Jetstar both allow deaf passengers to travel without carers.

RM500? I would like to believe that Ibrahim was delusional to think that the dignity of disabled people could be bought over so easily. Unfortunately, he was not! Everyone has a price but this entry is about Ibrahim and not about so-called advocates selling out the dignity and interests of the people that they were supposed to represent. Yes, disabled people can be bought over but come on lar, RM500 per month only? Some of us may willingly sell our souls for money but we are still not that cheap, ok!

Back to Ibrahim. He apologised to the members of MADD. If he really loves disabled people from the bottom of his heart like he was reported to have said, I would have preferred that he extend a sincere apology to Karpal and gave a commitment to bring up the monumental problems faced by disabled people all over Malaysia in Parliament instead of pulling a cheap stunt with the RM500 proposal. When pressed by Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng on whether he would extend the same apology to Karpal, Ibrahim refused and hopped away in a huff

It is time all serving politicians learn about the Social Model of Disability. I am going to repeat this for the umpteenth time. The Social Model of Disability states that people are disabled by attitudinal and environmental barriers rather than disabled by their conditions. What this means is that politicians like Ibrahim have failed in their duty to ensure that the built-environment provides equal accessible to disabled people. These environmental barriers were created by people who disregard disabled people as equal partners in society, namely people like Ibrahim. We can make do without such shallow wakil rakyats who have time and again proven that politicians do not have to be intelligent and sensitive to social issues to get elected.

Related entry:
Ibrahim Ali: Hello! Where Is Your Brain?

The Star Online
Thursday May 8, 2008 MYT 3:36:29 PM
Ibrahim apologises to disabled, but not to Karpal Singh
By PAUL CHOO

KUALA LUMPUR: Commotion broke out in the Parliament lobby Thursday when Datuk Ibrahim Ali (Independent - Pasir Mas) stormed out from a meeting with a group of disabled people demanding for his apology to Karpal Singh at the Parliament lobby at noon.

The group - known as Malaysians Against the Discrimination of the Disabled (MADD), urged Ibrahim to retract insulting statements against Karpal Singh recently when he asked the latter to stand when speaking in Dewan Rakyat.

Ibrahim had apologised to the group initially for hurting their feelings over the remarks he made in Dewan to Karpal Singh.

However, he refused to say sorry to Karpal Singh.

“My problem was with Karpal Singh and never with all of you. I have never offended you and I love disabled people from the bottom of my heart.

“But if you all have misinterpreted my meaning, I extend my sincerest apologies.

“I hope you don’t misunderstand this because there are groups trying to take advantage of you,” he said, referring to several Pakatan Rakyat leaders - Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Lim Lip Eng, Loh Gwo Burne, Gobind Singh Deo and others who had escorted the group into Parliament.

Ibrahim even added that he would propose that the Government allocate a RM500 monthly allowance to the disabled. This was greeted by cheers.

A huge spat soon ensued however when Lim Lip Eng (DAP - Segambut) questioned Ibrahim if he would offer a similar apology to Karpal Singh.

To this, Ibrahim shouted “No! No! No!”

“I will not apologise to Karpal (Singh). You cannot force me. I will not apologise for the benefit of the Opposition party,” he retorted, and stormed off from the meeting.

In response, the group shouted back at him: “What if you are disabled one day?”

A representative from MADD later handed over a memorandum to Opposition Leader Dr Wan Azizah.

Last week, Ibrahim critised Karpal Singh for not standing up to speak while Bung Mokhtar and Karpal Singh engaged in a heated exchange of insults where Karpal Singh called him “big foot” and he called Karpal Singh “big monkey”.

The task force should not only concentrate in making work places accessible. It should also conduct programmes to educate colleagues of disabled people through Disability Equality Training (DET) to make them understand the prime causes of why people are disabled. At the expense of flogging the dead horse again, people are disabled by the environment and attitudes rather than by their condition.

Take one of the most basic but crucial facility - the toilet - for example. Toilets that are not large enough to accommodate a wheelchair prevents a wheelchair user from using it. He is disabled by facilities that he cannot use. Provide toilets that adheres to the Malaysian Standard MS 1184: Code of Practice on Access for Disabled Persons to Public Buildings (MS 1184) and the wheelchair user is no longer disabled when he needs to use one.

Nevertheless, toilets are only part of the problem for disabled people who are seeking employment. There should be a comprehensive policy to ensure that people who have impairments are not marginalised in areas of education. Malaysian Confederation of the Disabled secretary Bathmavathi Krishnan was correct in saying that “the ministry’s move would encourage the disabled to acquire higher academic qualifications.”

Everybody knows that education is of utmost importance, not only for disabled people seeking gainful employment, but also for non-disabled people. What I would like to know is how many of our mainstream schools are physically accessible to disabled people? Without accessible schools disabled people are unable to get even a primary education, let alone getting qualifications at the tertiary level.

To get to the schools, public transport must be accessible. The same goes for the necessity of an accessible public transport for disabled people to commute from their homes to work places. The walkways from the home to the bus stop and from the bus stop to the work places must be accessible. The public facilities in Malaysia has not reached that level of accessibility yet. To talk about employment when basic infrastructure is not in place yet is putting the horse before the cart.

The government can allocate 1% or even 10% of jobs in the civil service for disabled people. Without first resolving the core issues, I dare say that not many disabled people will benefit from this policy. If Dr. Ng is serious in this matter, she must work with the Minister of Education, Minister of Transport, Minister of Housing and Local Government, and other relevant ministries to tackle the deficiencies in the entire system. Otherwise, this may just be another brilliant plan that will never see fruition.

The Star Online
Wednesday May 7, 2008
Task force to get more disabled into civil service

KUALA LUMPUR: A task force is being set up to encourage more disabled people to work in the public sector, said Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen.

She said the ministry wanted feedback on how to create a suitable working environment for the disabled.

Help for disabled: Dr Ng pushing Bathmavathi as they move together with Malaysian Federation of the Deaf president Mohamad Sazali Shaari (left) and Dr Wong.

The task force would comprise ministry, Public Service Department (PSD) and disabled representatives.

This would also help PSD achieve its aim of having at least 1% of the government workforce, or 10,000 workers, being the disabled, she said.

Currently, there are 220,000 disabled persons registered with the Social Welfare Department. Only 581 of them are working in the public service and fewer than 5,000 in the private sector.

Dr Wong Huey Siew, Society for the Blind Malaysia’s Employment and Computer Development chairman, said around 50% of disabled persons left their jobs within six months.

Malaysian Confederation of the Disabled secretary K. Bathmavathi said the ministry’s move would encourage the disabled to acquire higher academic qualifications.

There is no announcement in the Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Berhad (SYABAS) website. I called the toll-free number (1 800 88 5252) several times and waited in futility for more than 20 minutes to speak to a customer service executive each time, only to be informed repeatedly by the automated voice answering system that all the executives are busy.

I can accept if water supply is disrupted by a burst pipe or upgrading works provided it is announced in the website or through recorded message when customers call the toll-free line. I can accept if water supply is cut if prior notice is given for me to store water for essential usage.

As I was typing this, I finally got through to the customer service executive who gave me a very generic reply that the water level in the reservoir is low, that she does not know when normal water supply will be resumed and that a water tanker will be sent to this area today. When I asked when and where the water tanker will be deployed, she said she does not know.

I need clean water to wash my catheter after emptying my bladder. This I need to do at least 5 times a day. I run the risk of urinary tract infections or further damage to my kidneys if I skip this routine due to the inability to clean the catheter. I can live without electricity but I certainly cannot survive one day without water. I need a contingency plan just in case this crisis drags on for a few more days.

Untuk Negeri Kita

Majulah jayalah
Negeriku yang ku cinta
Bersatu dan bersama
Untuk negeri kita

Pasir Mas MP Ibrahim Ali asked Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia why Karpal was allowed to ask questions sitting down instead of standing like the other MPs. I believe this is the stupidest question ever asked in the Parliament by an MP in Malaysian history. It is a wonder how such cerebrally-deficient people can get elected to represent the people.

In asking that question, Ibrahim has clearly shown his contempt for disabled people. He is intolerant of people who do things differently from him. His myopic views disqualifies him from becoming an effective people’s representative. Such utterance in the Parliament is an embarrassment to Malaysia especially when we have just become a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Karpal is in a wheelchair because he is paralysed from the neck down. If he could stand, I am sure he would want to. It is no fun sitting on the wheelchair. I know because I have been a wheelchair user for the past 24 years. If Ibrahim does not know what the meaning of paralysis is, he should go look it up in a dictionary. Better still, I challenge Ibrahim to sit on a wheelchair throughout the entire first session of the Parliament up to May 27 to feel how it is like.

I would like to advise our newly elected MPs to see the person and not the disability or the wheelchair. Not being able to stand does not make Karpal less effective as an MP. Neither does being able to stand makes Ibrahim a better MP. Ibrahim should take heed of the following saying: It is better to keep one’s mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubts.”

The International Parliamentary Union (IPU) has published a document called the Handbook for Parliamentarians on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol. The document in PDF can be downloaded here. MPs and State Assemblymen who are genuine in respecting the rights of disabled people should read this handbook to understand that people are disabled not by their conditions but by attitudinal and physical barriers.

They must also understand that disabled people are the largest minority group in Malaysia that has been left out from mainstream society and marginalised in many ways. It is time the people’s representatives through the mandate they have been given push for substantial changes in the societal and governmental systems to ensure that disabled people are brought up to par with the progress that everyone else has been enjoying.

NST Online » Frontpage
2008/05/01
Dewan Rakyat: It looks like nothing has changed between two foes

POLITICAL maverick Datuk Paduka Ibrahim Ali (Ind-Pasir Mas) and Karpal Singh (DAP-Bukit Gelugor) renewed their mutual dislike of each other.
While Karpal chose to be political in his salvo, Ibrahim got personal and left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth.

The two took swipes at each other, when Karpal demanded to know the status of the former deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department.

“He contested under the Pas ticket in the recent elections. How come he sits here as an Independent?” he asked.

Ibrahim shot back and asked Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia why the wheelchair-bound Karpal was allowed to ask questions sitting instead of standing.
Ibrahim Ali’s remarks did not go down well with Pakatan Rakyat MPs.

Fong Po Kuan (DAP-Batu Gajah) called on the chair to make Ibrahim retract his unparliamentary language.

Azmin Ali (PKR-Gombak) weighed in and said there was no excuse for the language used by Ibrahim.

Pandikar Amin sidestepped the issue but cautioned members not to use unparliamentary language.

Karpal also continued where he had left off in the 11th parliament with Datuk Bung Moktar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan).

Karpal called Bung Moktar “Big Foot creature” and Bung Moktar retaliated by calling Karpal, “Big Monkey”.

In the lobby, Karpal said Pas must be responsible for Ibrahim’s behaviour. “They made sure he got elected.”

But Nasharuddin Mat Isa (Pas-Bachok) said as Ibrahim is an independent MP, he was not bound by Pakatan’s whip.

Later, Bung Mokhtar described Karpal as a “good friend”.

“I agree that it was unethical for Pasir Mas (Ibrahim) to touch on Karpal’s disability.”

Update:

The Star Online
Saturday May 3, 2008
Respect the disabled, Ng tells MP

KUALA LUMPUR: The Women, Family and Community Development Ministry will send a letter to the Pasir Mas MP to warn him against making insensitive remarks about disabled people.

Its minister, Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen, said she had instructed her officer to send the letter to independent candidate Datuk Ibrahim Ali at the post-Cabinet meeting yesterday.

“His words have hurt many disabled people and he has to be more cautious in future.

“He has to be more selective in his words and be sensitive,” she said at a press conference.

In the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday, Ibrahim had teased wheelchair-bound Bukit Gelugor MP Karpal Singh for “not respecting the House” by not standing up when speaking in Parliament.

It is déjà vu all over again on the first session of Malaysia’s Twelfth Parliament. The above was the challenge issued by Kinabatangan MP Bung Moktar Radin to Bukit Gelugor MP Karpal Singh. This happened after Karpal called Bung Moktar a bigfoot. Karpal sustained severe cervical injury in a traffic accident in 2005 and is currently using a wheelchair.

While Karpal’s derision was uncalled for, I take offense at Bung Moktar’s retort. Knowing that Karpal is unable to stand and yet using such a low brow challenge just goes on to show how shallow a person Bung Moktar is. I take this as an affront to all wheelchair users. We may not be able to physically stand up but that does not mean we do not have the courage to fight injustices perpetrated against us.

If Bung Moktar’s attitude is a reflection of how the Malaysian society sees disabled people, we should never ever use the word “masyarakat penyayang” again. I truly hope this is not so. If this is how Bung Moktar view disabled people - that because they cannot stand up they lack courage - then I weep for the disabled people who have voted him into Parliament. They would have gotten more respect had they voted for an orang utan or even the bigfoot.

I sincerely thank Azhar for taking the initiative to ensure that disabled people, especially wheelchair users, have access to public transportation. Nevertheless, I would like to know where he got the figure of four percent from? Is this the part of the current ridership statistics of Rapid Penang? Or is that the projected statistics after the bus stops become accessible?

If the statistics are current, Azhar should realise that Rapid Penang buses and all other public buses in Malaysia are not accessible to wheelchair users. If the statistics are projections, then it may be inaccurate as there is no way to tell how many disabled people will use public transportation when it becomes accessible.

Disabled people have equal right to public transportation. By becoming a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Malaysia has acknowledged this fact. Even if one percent of disabled people use public transportation, it should be made accessible. Statistics should not be used as a justification to provide or not to provide such facilities.

The bus stops should be built according to the principles of universal design which provides solutions that everyone can use and not limited only to disabled people. That makes better sense than building “ramps specially designed for the wheelchair-bound.” The time has come for society to shed the mentality that the needs of disabled people are extraordinary and needs addition expenditure and effort to provide for.

Frankly speaking, if Rapid Penang, which is a subsidiary of RapidKL, had seriously listened to disabled people who had advised them on this in the beginning, they would not have to go reconstructing the bus stops to cater to wheelchair users. They should have just brought in kneeling buses which would have solved the problem and saved themselves the trouble. Kneeling buses are very people-friendly. Senior citizens, parents with prams and aunties dragging a trolley-full of groceries will be able to get into the buses without breaking a sweat.

But this is Malaysia. People make money from making mistakes. And the needs of disabled people are often seen as opportunities to make even more money. Welcome to my world.

NST Online » Local News
2008/04/25
Upgrade of bus stops mooted

GEORGE TOWN: RapidPenang has submitted a proposal to the state government to take over bus stops and bus stations in the state in a bid to upgrade and standardise the designs of the stops.
Its chief executive officer, Azhar Ahmad, said the takeover process was planned to be carried out in three phases over the next six years.

“In the first phase, we are expecting to take over some 60 bus stops to manage and maintain them using our own money.

“The first phase is expected to cost RM3 million and will take some two years to carry out,” he said after a ceremony to confirm RapidPenang bus captains and the launch of the monthly students’ passes here yesterday.

He presented 60 monthly student passes to three non-governmental organisations.
Azhar said the company also planned to equip the bigger bus stops with facilities for the disabled.

“These include ramps specially designed for the wheelchair-bound.

“Even though only four per cent of the disabled use public transportation, we see this as a commitment which must be fulfilled immediately.”

Azhar said the state government was expected to give the go-ahead in one or two months’ time.