Focus
Sunday September 17, 2006
Lead the way, Karpal!
THANK you for your most intriguing story on DAP Chairman Karpal Singh (I will walk again, People, StarMag, Sept 10) and how his life has changed since he became wheelchair-bound after an auto accident last year.
I’ve had the privilege of briefly meeting and shaking hands with him at quite a few of the ceramah held by the veteran opposition stalwart but never imagined that one day, he, too, would be confined to a wheelchair like me.
I admire and applaud the veteran opposition MP’s courage and resolve in pushing ahead for a complete recovery so that he can be back on his own two feet again.
However, at the same time, I would like to bring Karpal’s attention to the hundreds of other Malaysians with spinal injuries like him as well as those with other disabilities who will never be able to walk again. Despite their respective disabilities, they still want to participate and strive for dreams like everyone else.
They want to go to school in their wheelchairs, find jobs, get married, start a family and grow old gracefully, too.
What blocks them from fulfilling their dreams, however, is not their personal disabilities but, rather, the lack of consideration given to their needs and rights by the policymakers and lawmakers in our country. Even Parliament House remains inaccessible to Malaysians with disabilities after almost half a century of Merdeka!
It is such neglect that continues to keep the disabled in Malaysia “imprisoned” at home, out of the public eye and “a burden to society”.
Mr Singh, although some may look down at you now that you are in a wheelchair – and some callous MPs may even ridicule you during your weakest physical hour – the disabled community will never do so. With our wheelchairs, we “stand” by you.
Instead of making disparaging remarks about your physical condition, people should realise that our planet is moving around so fast that, today it might be you and tomorrow, them.
Disability is much closer to all of us than many of us care to think. It can strike at any time. It respects no one.
Disability is also more likely with older age. With our elderly population increasing from 6%, the question remains if we’ll be ready for the influx of older and disabled citizens in the near future?
The disability journey that you are now taking, no matter how long or short, has left you in a privileged position to be able to speak out for us in the most important House in our nation and to champion our cause, if you’ve never done so before.
From the bottom of our hearts, we wish you all the very best in your life and in your special mission!
Anthony Thanasayan,President, Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (Petpositive)
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