After watching the ruckus outside the Parliament House involving UMNO Youths and Member of Parliament for Bukit Gelugor Karpal Singh on TV3 and NTV7 just now, I could only think of one question: Is mob culture Malaysian culture? Notwithstanding Karpal’s provocative utterances in Parliament the day before, such scenes of disorderly behaviour should not have happened or allowed to happen within the compound of the august Parliament building.
Tag: Karpal Singh
Ibrahim apologises to disabled, but not to Karpal Singh: The Star – May 8, 2008
The Star reported that Pasir Mas MP Ibrahim Ali wants to propose to the government to allocate RM500 monthly to disabled people after he was confronted by members of Malaysians Against the Discrimination of the Disabled (MADD) in the Parliament House over his suggestion that tetraplegic Bukit Gelugor MP Karpal Singh stand up when addressing the Parliament.
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 access 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 CHOOKUALA 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”.
Ibrahim Ali: Hello! Where Is Your Brain?
Kinabatangan MP Bung Moktar Radin should be consoled by the fact that he is not the only court jester in the august Parliament House. His challenge to tetraplegic Bukit Gelugor MP Karpal Singh to “stand up if you dare” is overshadowed by the idiocy of another infamous Parliamentarian.
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 is one of the largest minority groups 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 foesPOLITICAL 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 MPKUALA 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.