All systems go for the disabled in PJ - nst

All systems go for PJ to be disabled friendly Noel Achariam

Anthony Thanasayan is now a PJ councillor.

PETALING JAYA: Good news for the handicapped in Petaling Jaya city.

For starters, the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) has responded to the call of disabled people by agreeing to build 150 covered car parks around PJ for them.

The handicapped will also feature prominently in the council's budget that will be drawn up soon.

These were among the few steps taken by the council to provide better infrastructure for the handicapped in the city. This was announced yesterday at the Petaling Jaya full board meeting.

Councillor Anthony Sivabalan Thanasayan, who had on behalf of the disabled, requested for covered car parks, said: "The council has responded well to the plight of the disabled and we believe that covered car parks will surely benefit a lot of disabled folk," he said.

"We will be discussing the budget soon, and the mayor has given his full support to provide better facilities for the handicapped.

"I have already had a few discussions with the planning department to see how we can assist the disabled."

Anthony also asked the council to look into putting up sign boards and images that can assist the disabled.

"These are some of the things that I have mentioned to the mayor," he said.

"Everyone thinks that the disabled are asking for charity, but that is not what we want. We are only asking that we be given the opportunity to live just like the able bodied people.

"I would not say that we are different. We are just normal like anyone else.

"We might be handicapped, but we want society to treat us like normal people.

"And this can only be done by providing better transport and infrastructure for the disabled. We hope that the disabled will be mentioned and provided for in the budget," he said.

Speaking to reporters after the full board meeting, Mayor Datuk Mohamad Roslan Sakiman said that the city will include better infrastructure for the disabled in the budget.

"We have already asked Anthony to submit all the proposals and we will include it into the budget.

"Apart from better infrastructure in the city, we will also be providing other amenities for the disabled."

Guide dog in Mosque - bbc online

Ruling allows guide dog in mosque

Mohammed Abraar Khatri's confidence is said to be growing

An 18-year-old blind Muslim student in Leicester is the first to be allowed to take his guide dog into a UK mosque.

In Islam dogs are regarded as unclean and are not allowed in mosques.

However, the Muslim Law (Shari'ah) Council UK has now issued a fatwa which allows guide dogs inside mosques but not into prayer rooms.

The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association and the Muslim Council of Britain worked together to support Mohammed Abraar Khatri's request.

Guide Dogs for the Blind said it was "a massive step forward for other blind and partially-sighted Muslims".

Such a facility will highlight the Islamic attitude of helping disabled people Mohammad Shahid Raza Imams and Mosques Council UK

An association spokesman said: "It is also hoped that mosque leaders both in the UK and internationally will now make similar adjustments to enable Muslim guide dog owners to enter their mosque."

Mr Khatri, who owns a guide dog called Vargo, said the religious authorities felt they had a duty to help him.

"They were actually very good and they were the ones who were willing to help because they said it is their duty to accommodate.

"He does just lie down and relax there and sit here. Being a guide dog, their whole manner is to be calm and relaxed and just out of the way."

A special rest area has been set up in the entrance of the Bilal Jamia Mosque for Vargo to stay in while his owner is praying.

The decision was made after lengthy discussions with Muslim leaders

"Mohammad Shahid Raza, director of the Imams and Mosques Council UK, said: "I believe that in all new mosques such facilities for disabled people will be an essential part of their design.

The Bilal Mosque is going to provide special provision for such guide dogs to be kept safely and securely within the mosque complex during such visits.

"Such a facility will highlight the Islamic attitude of helping disabled people and enhance the services we provide to the Muslim community."

Mohammed's father Gafar Khatri said: "Now instead of being dependent on other people to take him places he can now go where ever he wants when he wants.

"Obviously it is early days but his confidence is growing daily."

MPS disabled councillor in action

Thursday September 11, 2008

MPS issues warning to billboard owners

By OH ING YEEN

OWNERS of expired billboards and banners are urged to pay up quick or the billboards will be taken down, said Selayang Muni-cipal Council (MPS) councillor Gurdip Kaur.

“They should have the approval of the council before putting up the banners and billboards. This is a form of illegal advertisement,” said Gurdip.

“I have noticed the problem of illegal banners and billboards since I lived in Rawang nine years ago but there was nothing I could do then. Now, as a councillor, I’m able to do my duty and take down the illegal advertisements,” said the Zone 16 councillor.

Tear them down: Enforcement officers dismantling illegal billboards and banners along Jalan Kuala Garing while Gurdip (second from left) looks on.

She said safety was another reason for taking down the banners and billboards.

“Five days ago, a driver almost got into an accident when a poster that was blown off by strong winds landed on his car ,” she said.

More than 10 MPS enforcement officers took down illegal banners and billboards starting from the ones in Jalan Kuala Garing, Rawang. They will be continuing the operation to rid Selayang of illegal banners and billboards.

MPS assistant enforcement officer C. Paramasivam said that this was the first large-scale operation carried out to tear down illegal banners and billboards.

“Normally the owners of illegal banners will be issued a RM500 summons but many have been there for too long.

“Some of the billboards we took down have been there for six months since the licences expired while some owners only paid during the first time they applied for the licence and did not renew it. They have breached Section 5 of the MPS advertising by-law for advertising without licence,” said Paramasivam, who is also the MPS Rawang 1 zone chief.

MPS assistant enforcement officer Megat Ainul Fadzlil said that they normally conducted these operations five to six times a year.

“The billboard or banner owners will be given a three-day deadline after they were issued a notice to renew their licences.

“However, things are slow during the fasting month as we are more focused on checking the Ramadan bazaar licences,” he said, adding that approved banners and billboards would have the MPS sticker.

Gurdip, who is in the tourism, finance and traffic subcommittees in the council, also plans to tackle issues such as potholes, lack of street lights as well as ramps for the disabled.

“After the petrol hike, the trains are packed and it is difficult for the disabled to get into them. I’m also looking into quotations for bubble lifts,” said the secretary of the Independent Living and Training Centre (ILTC).

Big challenge for disabled - Wheel Power, The Star

Thursday September 11, 2008

Big challenge

Wheel Power: By Anthony Thanasayan

For the disabled participants at Beijing’s Paralympics Games, the event is often regarded as the highlight of their lives.

AS you read this, as many as 4,000 disabled athletes (including a dozen Malaysians) are taking part in Beijing’s Paralympics Games.

The event, held once every four years, traditionally takes place about three weeks after the Olympics. It is also held in the same country that the Olympic Games took place.

To the disabled sportsmen and sportswomen involved, the Paralympics is often regarded as the most important event in their lives.

(From left) Oscar Pistorious of South Africa, Heros Marai of Italy and Christoph Bausch of Switzerland in the heats of the men’s 100m T44 classification race at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games.

To me, the event is not only about who wins what and how well they performed. That is important, of course. But what is more important is how a particular sporting event has contributed to the people, and how it will continue to change their lives.

How will life change for the disabled community after major sporting events are over? BBC Online’s web page gave a peek into the lives of the handicapped in China.

The online page’s reporter followed an Olympic volunteer who used a wheelchair and travelled across Beijing by bus and subway, before the Games. The exposure made him realise how serious disability issues are in the country.

Although ramps and lifts were newly added for the Paralympics, this wasn’t so in other towns and villages in China.

The 82.7 million people with disabilities in China still face discrimination and prejudice, which make their daily lives difficult.

Universities in China are still reluctant to take in students with handicaps.

Human Rights Watch based in New York says that “8.58 million employable people with a disability in China did not have jobs last year.”

This even though the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities laws had been enacted and ratified not long ago.

“So far these protections have meant little to (disabled) persons (and) their advocates in China to be able to fairly compete for employment,” the organisation pointed out.

Despite this dismal outlook, the BBC says the good news is that the Chinese government has made a big effort to educate its citizens on how to talk to the disabled athletes during the Paralympics.

One pamphlet advises locals to be helpful, but not too pushy. It also suggests they should be more sensitive to those with disabilities.

Over here in Malaysia, it was announced that we had won the bid to host the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) world general assembly in Kuala Lumpur. The event will be held in November next year.

Even though this is joyous news for the disabled community, many of us are concerned about the issue of accessibility for the international disabled guests when they arrive in KL.

We know what a nightmare it is for a wheelchair user to move around in the capital.

Will the respective local councils be able to tackle these problems by the time our overseas guests arrive next year?

Or will our disabled visitors be restricted in their movements and told where they can go in the city?

Will they stay in posh hotels (with accessible shiny toilets) during their stay or will they be allowed to mingle with the rest of us and have a chance to see what Malaysia is really like?

If nothing is done from now until November next year, will our disabled guests want to come to Malaysia again?

And how would our disabled citizens benefit from such a visit? That is what I really like to know.

Cats and eczema - bbc online

Cats 'spark eczema in vulnerable'

Cats can produce allergens that irritate the immune system

Being exposed to cat allergens early in life may spark eczema - if you carry a key gene fault, a study has suggested.

Scientists found having the mutant FLG gene increased the risk of eczema in a baby's first year twofold, but adding exposure to a cat quadrupled that risk.

The study, of 892 babies born in the UK and Denmark, was published in the Public Library of Science journal.

However, a UK expert said other research suggested cats may actually reduce the risk of eczema.

The study, led by a team at the University of Dundee, found exposure to dogs made no difference.

Our data suggest that cat but not dog ownership substantially increases the risk of eczema in the first year of life in children with FLG 'loss of function' variants Study researchers

Rates of eczema, which can cause dry, itchy skin, have been rising in the UK in recent years.

The cause of the condition is not fully understood, but it is known that chemicals which cause allergic reactions do seem to trigger flare-ups.

Scientists believe an interplay between these chemicals and our genes may be key to the initial development of the condition.

The Dundee team has been investigating the potential role played by the FLG gene, which it believes is crucial in maintaining the skin's role as a protective barrier.

Some variants of the gene stop it working properly, but faulty genes alone do not explain eczema - as some people appear to carry them and never suffer from the condition.

Environmental factors

The Dundee study looked for a connection between "environmental" factors and the triggering of the disease in children.

Working with the universities of Manchester and Copenhagen, the team looked at groups of babies to see what difference exposure to cat, dog and dust mite allergens made to those carrying the variants of the FLG gene.

Researchers found that, on average, the variants on their own roughly doubled the chances of eczema in the first 12 months of life.

In those families who also owned cats at the time of the birth, the risk was almost quadrupled.

There was no significant increase in the risk if there was dog or dust-mite exposure.

The researchers wrote: "Our data suggest that cat but not dog ownership substantially increases the risk of eczema in the first year of life in children with FLG 'loss of function' variants".

However, Dr Michael Cork, a dermatology expert from the University of Sheffield, said the study was relatively small, and the results should be interpreted cautiously.

He said: "There is plenty of other evidence that exposure to cats can actually protect against the development of eczema.

"It is possible that it could actually induce tolerance in children.

"This is a highly complex area, and any results like this need to be weighed alongside other studies."

Note: This article first appeared in June of this year.

NST Letter: Aid for the disabled: RM500 allowance closer to the mark

IT is most thoughtful and timely of Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen to raise the qualifying ceiling for the disabled in order to obtain their monthly workers' allowance so that they can better cope with the rising cost of living.

However, we in the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (Petpositive) are disappointed that the monthly allowance of RM300 has not been raised to RM500 for each disabled Malaysian as we had suggested in our meeting with the minister.

The reason for our suggestion is that the disabled face a higher cost of living. They not only have to pay for aids specific to their disabilities -- wheelchairs, crutches, braille material and hearing aids -- but also medication that can run into hundreds of ringgit per month.

The RM300 is at present only for those with jobs. What about those who can't work, such as the paralysed and those who are bedridden?

The government should make it such that people like these are able to automatically qualify for the same amount of financial aid instead of being considered on a case-by-case basis as appears to be the current policy.
Petpositive once again would like to call for the increase of the disability allowance to RM500 a month for every disabled person, regardless of what kind of handicaps they have and whether they are working or not.

Beauty vs the Disabled? - Malay Mail

Note: Here is a story from the Malay Mail on Thursday.

I had visited Peter Siow's condominium with the MBPJ team and found that there was no reason at all as to why a ramp can not be build for this elderly disabled gentlemen for his convenience.

Using "aesthetics" as an reason for not providing the ramp is discriminatory and unacceptable.

The good news is that the latest I've heard is that a green light has finally been given to the developer to build the ramp. Peter is expected to have his ramp by Hari Raya.

aNt

A condo's aesthetics versus the disabled

By Anu Venugopal September 04, 2008 Categories: News

The issue of building aesthetics versus the needs of a physically challenged person came to the fore when a wheelchair user’s request for a ramp at the front lobby of the condominium he lives in was rejected by the Joint Management Body (JMB) committee.

"The JMB committee has spent lots of money repairing the swimming pool but does not want a ramp to be installed, apparently because it will ruin the aesthetics of the building," said Peter Siow, 72, who needs a wheelchair for mobility.

There is a ramp located at the basement car park of the building. However, it is too steep for Siow to use and has no railings.

Siow, who lives with his wife on the second floor of the condominium, can only use his right hand to manoeuvre his wheelchair on the steep ramp as his left hand is paralysed.

"When I call for a taxi and they go to the basement, they don’t know where to wait. Some of them drive off and I am left in the lurch. So now I use the front lobby, but with great difficulty."

Siow can drag himself down the stairs of the front lobby to get into a cab but can only manage to walk a few metres before requiring his wheelchair.

His request for a ramp to be built at the building’s front lobby has gone unheeded for a year.

But the good news now, following a call from Malay Mail, is that the property developer and the JMB of the condominium have agreed to consider his request.

Senior property manager Zainuddin Aziz of Glomac, the building developer, said they would be happy to install the ramp with the approval of the JMB of Prima Condominium Chapter Two.

"MBPJ officials have inspected the site and I believe they have specifications of the portable ramp they want to install. It’s now up to the MBPJ and Zainuddin," said JMB chairman, Dr Wu Chin Fong.

Zainuddin said yesterday that the developer has been told that it can proceed with the installation with a mandate from the JMB committee.

He added that if the management committee agrees to the installation of the ramp, Glomac will make a cost comparison between the quotation by the JMB and MBPJ’s specifications and decide on the kind of ramp to install.

The funding of the ramp will come from the maintenance fund managed by Glomac.

Meanwhile, until the JMB committee decides that it can sacrifice building aesthetics for the needs of a disabled person, Siow’s request remains in the balance. However, he has not given up hope.

"I hope the construction of this ramp will start soon and hopefully I will get to use the ramp by Hari Raya," Siow said.

WEEKEND VIEW: What Freedom For The Disabled Is All About

OF all the Merdeka Day celebrations in my lifetime since 1960, this year’s one was, without an ounce of doubt, the most significant for me.

Last Sunday as I was listening to the radio in my room at midnight, welcoming our 51^st Independence Day anniversary together with other listeners on the air, I was suddenly overwhelmed with emotion.

I discovered for the very first time that as a disabled citizen in my country, I am now able to finally rejoice with my fellow non disabled Malaysian brothers and sisters in celebrating the true meaning of freedom and what it is all about.

Not just for me, folks, but it will be for all disabled residents of Petaling Jaya (PJ).

Even though many handicapped denizens and their caregivers living in our city may not realise this piece of marvellous news just yet.

I’m referring to the 150 disabled car park slots that the Majlis Bandaran Petaling Jaya (MBPJ) will be providing for the disabled all over PJ.

Work on this project starts this month and is expected to be completed before Christmas.

I can’t tell you how exciting this news is to the handicapped community. Especially when one considers how long we have been shut out of our society and the public.

Many drivers with disabilities have contacted me to say that they can’t wait to test out the very first MBPJ disabled car park when it comes out.

The city council will make sure that wheelchair users have ample space to get their wheelchairs in and out of their cars.

(Often, other cars parked next to the driver’s side block the wide space that is needed for the disabled person to get out of his vehicle.

It is for this reason why disabled drivers sometimes park their cars very close to other cars on their left.

This is to give them enough room so that they can get out of their cars from the driver’s seat side should another car park next to them.)

A unique feature rarely seen in our country and overseas is that each parking slot

will also provide a shelter for the driver’s car. This, of course, is to protect him or her from the elements.

A hot sunny day, as most of us know, can turn the car seat into a literal cooking pot. This can cause life-threatening blisters and sores for handicapped people with paralysed limbs that have no feeling at all.

Because of the numbness, most of them will not realise the hot seats until the damage has been done. And when that happens, the situation is often irreversible.

Umbrellas are also useless for wheelchair users during rain. Whilst an able-bodied person can zip into his car within seconds, the physically disabled will need at least 10 – 15 minutes to perform the same task.

Time is needed to position wheelchairs at exactly the correct angle before the driver swings himself into his car. One wrong move or error in judgment can be disastrous, sending the disabled person crashing on to the ground.

When that happens, they can often end up with a fracture or something worse.

The roofing is also a great boost for caregivers when they bring out their disabled children or parents for dinner, movies, shopping, etc.

Caregivers frequently need twice the time as they are often accompanied by another caregiver. They have to literally carry their paralysed loved ones out of the vehicle.

To use the special car parks, one has to obtain MBPJ’s specially designed wheelchair logos. These will be made available free of charge soon.

The disabled will have to produce their government registration handicapped ID cards.

For those who haven’t registered themselves yet, now is the good time to go and do so.

For those who have yet to be recognised officially as disabled persons by the government such as those with Parkinson’s disease and stroke, all you need to do is to provide a letter verifying your disability by a government doctor or the society one is a member of.

These are just some of the many goodies (and challenges!) that head of MBPJ’s city planning department director Sharipah Marhaini Syed Ali and I, as city councillor, have lined up for the disabled community in PJ in the near future.

Providing these physical friendly structures is an imperative and positive start towards also changing deep seated negative mindsets of disabled people in our society.

Facilities like these will encourage both the disabled and their families to come and participate in public life with confidence.

By seeing the disabled-friendly car parks everywhere, I believe, more and more people will start to not only realise that there are indeed many disabled Malaysians among us, but we will have more importantly moved one giant step forward in creating – to use the MBPJ’s theme - “A liveable society and dynamic city for ALL PERSONS.”

Happy Hari Kebangsaan everybody!

Note: Pictures by Mr Sivaraman Kannan

The End

Live in a farm to avoid asthma - bbc online

Farm pregnancy 'cuts asthma risk'

Living on a farm while pregnant may benefit the baby

Living on a farm during pregnancy may help reduce the chance of the child developing asthma, eczema and even hayfever, say scientists.

The New Zealand researchers suggest that exposure to animals and the bacteria they carry may affect the foetus's immune system.

Writing in the European Respiratory Journal, they said exposure before and after birth halved the risk.

But experts warn some animals carry infections which may harm the baby.

The research, carried out at Massey University, adds to other studies which have suggested that living on a farm, with regular contact with animals, during the early years of life, could cut the risk of asthma and other allergic diseases.

But the study of more than 1,300 farmers' children goes further, suggesting that this protection could start building even before birth.

It found that the greatest apparent protection - a 50% reduction in asthma, and an even greater reduction in eczema and hay fever - was gained by children whose mothers had been exposed to farm life during pregnancy, and who currently lived on a farm.

The reasons why this might happen are unclear, although they are likely to be related to the way that the child begins to develop its immune system.

Milk bacteria

Living on a farm means frequent contact with animal bacteria, perhaps through the consumption of unpasteurised milk, or contact with the animals directly.

The researchers suggested that this might suppress the production of particular immune cells linked to the development of asthma.

However, they suggested that while exposure during pregnancy might be useful, it might only persist if the child was exposed after its birth as well.

The findings are unlikely to lead to any change in current advice to pregnant women, which urges caution about contact with certain farm animals.

In particular, an infection which can cause miscarriage in pregnant ewes can lead to the same result in humans.

The faeces of other animals can also carry infections which can affect a pregnancy.

Dr Elaine Vickers, research manager at Asthma UK, said: "This study adds to existing evidence supporting the hygiene hypothesis, which states that early exposure to potential allergens results in a reduced risk of asthma development.

"However, the causes of asthma are still largely unknown and the processes involved in asthma development are incredibly complicated, including family history, environment and lifestyle."

Upset over disabled allowance - Malay Mail

Upset over allowance for the disabled

September 02, 2008 Categories: News

Don't insult the less-fortunate with paltry allowances, the federal government was told yesterday.

Anthony Thanasayan, Petaling Jaya City Council’s first disabled councillor, found the 2009 budget unfriendly to persons of his ilk. He said the RM150 per month allowance for the disabled showed the government’s apathy towards to the plight of the community.

“If a person is bedridden, he or she is likely to have bedsores. The medication costs about RM500- RM1,000 a month. How are they going to survive on RM150?” he asked.

He said the community was also disappointed with Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen because she obviously did not push for better allowances for them. A group of disabled persons met the minister three months ago and asked for a minimum allowance of RM500.

“The allocation only shows that the government does not take us seriously,” he added.

When asked his view on the Persons of Disability Act that came into force last month, Thanasayan said that it wouldn’t be of much help to the disabled if the spirit of the Act was not enforced.

The Persons of Disability Act states the National Council for Persons with Disabilities may require relevant ministries, government agencies, bodies or organisations to submit reports to the council on steps, measures and actions required to be undertaken in complying with provisions of the Act.

The Act is non-punitive and, therefore, powerless to help the disabled.

“In reality, the Act is still holding on to the charity concept which relies on the kindness of society. Why do the laws penalise those who discriminate against women and not us?” he asked.

He believed Malaysians still discriminated against the disabled. As councillor in charge of the disabled, he came across a developer of a condominium who wanted to build a ramp for an elderly disabled man living there. However, the residents’ association of the condominium did not want the ramp built as they believed that it would spoil the ambiance of the place.

“If there was strict enforcement of the Persons of Disability Act, we could have taken legal action against the association. But now there is nothing we can do,” he said.

Hope against cancer - bbc online

Hopes raised for block on cancer

Cancer cells keep dividing

Scientists say they have taken a big step towards blocking a chemical vital to the growth of many cancers.

They have unpicked the structure of telomerase, an enzyme which, when active, helps keep cells in an "immortal" state.

The chemical is at work in more than nine out of ten types of tumour.

Researchers from Philadelphia's Wistar Institute, writing in the journal Nature, say their efforts could lead to drugs which switch it off.

All cells in the body have a natural clock - the telomeres - which shorten every time the cell divides.

The idea is that you could convert immortal cancer cells back into mortal ones by blocking telomerase in this way Professor Rob Newbold Brunel University

After a fixed number of divisions in most cells, the telomeres are reduced to a certain length, and the cell cannot continue dividing.

This change is responsible for changes within the ageing body, as cell division slows down.

Some cells, such as stem cells within the embryo, use the chemical telomerase to maintain telomere length.

Many tumours have hijacked the telomerase system to fuel their uninhibited growth.

The Wistar team has found a new way to map the structure of the most active part of the chemical.

'Few side effects'

Dr Emmanuel Skordalakes said that this detailed picture would help provide molecular targets for drugs.

"Telomerase is an ideal target for chemotherapy because it is active in almost all human tumours, but inactive in most normal cells.

"That means that a drug that deactivates telomerase would likely work against all cancers, with few side effects."

Professor Rob Newbold, from Brunel University in Uxbridge, said it was a "very important" achievement.

"Telomerase controls the evolution of cancers - and is a key characteristic of human cancer cells.

"The idea is that you could convert immortal cancer cells back into mortal ones by blocking telomerase in this way.

"Having discovered the structure now, it will certainly help the development of drugs."

Disabled Disappointed Over Budget - The Star

Saturday August 30, 2008

Pensioners, the disabled want more benefits

THE National Council of Senior Citizens Organisation Malaysia (Nacscom) president Datuk Lum Kin Tuck said that while the proposal to have a minimum RM720 monthly pension was good, it was still not enough to cope with the rising cost of living.

“While it will help pensioners who have been getting low pensions all along, I feel it should be slightly higher,” he said.

“I think people would be able to cope with the cost of living better if they had a minimum pension of RM900.”

Malaysian Confederation of the Disabled president Mah Hassan said he was happy with the Budget on three points: the RM150 allowance for disabled students, RM200 monthly incentive payment for teaching assistants in special education schools and a higher allowance for caregivers in Rumah Tunas Harapan.

“I must praise the Government for taking all these into consideration,” he said.

“However, on behalf of the disabled community, I must say I am disappointed with the RM150 allowance for the non-working disabled.”

Independent Living and Training Centre president Francis Siva also shared his sentiments.

“At a pre-Budget consultation, we had asked for a RM500 allowance across the board for the disabled.

“What can you do with RM150? I'm very, very sad. There are many severely-disabled people who have no opportunity to find work. How are they going to live on a mere RM150?” he said.