The Dilemma Of Voting In Penang

I need to arrange the logistics for me to get back to Penang to vote. The problem is that Wuan will be casting her ballot here in Kuala Lumpur. I am not going to ask her to give up that right to vote just to accompany me back. I need assistance for moving around in Penang. I tire easily nowadays. Maybe it is the weather. Maybe it is my health. It will be difficult for me to go back by myself in this condition.

This election may be the first and last one that I am voting in Penang. I am considering changing my address and voting constituency to where I am residing in Kuala Lumpur now. I have never bothered with exercising my right to vote previously because of the inaccessibility of voting centres. I disliked being carried on my wheelchair up steps. Wheelchairs are not designed to be carried. There is a danger of parts breaking away.

Being an advocate on disability issues now, I realised that disabled people need to go out to exercise their voting rights and where necessary advocate for accessible voting centres and most importantly, accessible public transport to take us there. If I have my way, the ministers responsible for these insufficiencies in infrastructure will not be getting any vote from disabled people. What have they done in the past five years to make the environment accessible to disabled people? Many of us are still stuck at home because there is no concerted effort to ensure that accessible facilities are in place.

Author: Peter Tan

Peter Gabriel Tan. Penangite residing in the Klang Valley. Blissfully married to Wuan. A LaSallian through and through. Slave to three cats. Wheelchair user since 1984. End-stage renal disease since 2017. Principal Facilitator at Peter Tan Training specialising in Disability Equality Training. Former columnist of Breaking Barriers with The Borneo Post. This blog chronicles my life, thoughts and opinions. Connect with me on Twitter and Facebook.

9 thoughts on “The Dilemma Of Voting In Penang”

  1. You must now make an effort to have the disabled being given the privilege of a postal vote to solve your problem as every vote counts especially in Penang where the Battle Royal in Penang – a David and Goliath match perhaps for Prof Dr P. Ramasamy (Batu Kawan) against Dr Koh Tsu Koon.
    The other DAP 2 new faces in Penang are; Jeff Ooi (Jelutong), Liew Chin Tong (Bukit Bendera)

    Meanwhile trouble is brewing up in DAP Pahang where DAP chief Lip Tuck Chee tendered his resignation, only to withdraw it four hours later. “The candidates for the Pahang seats have been decided but there was a jostle for the Teras assembly seat that has been assigned to me,” he said, However, after a phone call around 8pm by party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, Lip agreed to remain as state chief. More details & Pics at
    http://powerpresent.blogspot.com/2008/02/dap-penang-battle-royal-prof-dr.html
    Or
    Go H E R E
    and the tentative line-up in DAP Selangor

  2. Not sure why we need to highlight problems in the DAP? I think the entire political system is facing an uproar and Penang is hot … really hot. Gerakan is getting lots of heat on who’s who causing Penang Chinese Chamber of Commerce to withdraw from Penang Chinese Town Hall. Let’s be fair ya? More uproar in Taiping? More uproar here..and there but do we hear it…nooooooooooooo…only 1 line.

  3. wuan can cast her vote in the morning and then you two drive back to penang.

    Peter:
    And after voting in Penang drive back? You think I very tahan lasak issit?

  4. Take plane back to Penang then I go pick you up, we go support Jeff together-gether. Then I send you to the airport the day after loh, Like that sui boh?

    Peter:
    Sui. Kam sia. Considering. You also voting in Jelutong meh?

  5. aiya rest one or two days la.

    sk you also voting for jelutong ka

    Peter:
    If rest one or two days must fly down lor. Then who is going to kau tim all my meals?

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