Local History in Petaling Jaya

The following is a special pictorial report by Petpositive. Pictures are courtesy of Petpositive volunteer photographer Ruwaidy Mat Rasul and story by aNt. (Kindly click on the photos for a better view.)


IT WAS NO ORDINARY DAY ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2008.

Local history for the disabled and elderly residents in Petaling Jaya was created on that glorious morning.

G Francis Siva and I were one of the first to arrive. By quarter past eight in the morning the President of the Independent Living and Training Centre in Rawang and I had got down from our transport and were eagerly awaiting the events of the day to unfold.


So was my personal assistant Davidson Devadas.

On that morning, a first-ever sheltered disabled car park was installed in the headquarters of Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya in Jalan Yong Shook Lin in PJ.

The car park was launched by YB Ronnie Liu. It is a first of a total of 149 more to come in PJ that is expected to be completed by June 2009.



Stanislaus Anthony, (in bush jacket, top right) a walking difficulty PJ resident was among the more than a 100 guests who attended the event. He told PET+BLOGSPOT that whilst he is delighted with the provision of the car parks, he hopes to see every single one of them fitted with the rooftops.


Others at the event and pictured immediately above are: 1) S Gopalasingam and Sara Lew, committee members of Petpositive. 2) Lau Weng San, ADUN for Kampung Tunku with aNt 3) The VIPs at the event.

More on this story in words and pictures coming soon.

PET+BLOGSPOT

Petpositive's Big Mall Day with the disabled and the elderly

Finally, it's a big-mall day

By Anu Venugopal December 23, 2008 Categories: News

It was wheelchair-bound Abhi Vajayan’s first-ever visit yesterday to MidValley Megamall.

She was happy that she finally got the opportunity to see and experience what many Malaysians encounter every weekend. Abhi, whose full name is Nyanamabiga, was one of 30 disabled and mostly elderly people who were invited to be part of a special day organised by the MidValley, Cititel and Boulevard hotels.

"We wanted to give them an opportunity to experience a normal life, having lunch at the hotel, going around the mall and experiencing a day they would remember," said the hotels’ communication manager, Huang Chia Ming.

Abhi has just finished studying for a diploma in office administration at MCS College in Banting and hopes to further her studies overseas.

"Although I would like to continue my studies right now, I know it’s difficult. I hope to get a job in administration, preferably with the government and hope to give my siblings a better life," she added.

Abhi, 23, and her two siblings, Megala, 22, and Gobinathan, 20, are also wheelchair-bound. All three live in Banting, Klang with their parents, Devigi and Vajayan.

The three siblings rarely have an opportunity to visit shopping malls in the city, as they face difficulty getting transportation, even to college.

"This is a special treat for them. It’s very difficult and expensive for my children to have a day out, as we have to pay RM10 for taxi fares every time they go out," said Devigi.

The event was supported by The Malaysian Anima-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (Petpositive), together with assistance from councillor of the Kuala Langat District Council, Janarthani Arumugam.

"Janarthani and I worked together to select those who are here," said Pet Positive president Anthony Thanasayan. He added that those selected for the event never experienced dining at a hotel or shopping at shopping centres in the city.

"We just wanted them to have a feel of the Christmas spirit and enjoy the freedom that normal people have, " he added.

Goodies for the disabled from MBPJ

Saturday December 27, 2008

Quick Response Team for PJ

By OH ING YEEN at the Petaling Jaya City Council Full Board Meeting

THE Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) will implement the Quick Response Team (QRT) to handle minor grouses in the city beginning Jan 1, 2009, PJ mayor Roslan Sakiman announced at the MBPJ December full board meeting.

“There will be 10 officers from various departments, such as the Landscape, Engineering and Health departments, in the team, for multi-skills and multi-tasking,” he said.

The idea was proposed by MBPJ councillor Michael Soon at the September full board meeting.

PJ folk can look forward to more good news in 2009, such as free medical services for the hardcore poor, people with disabilities, and senior citizens in PJ.

“It costs RM2 million to provide these facilities and only those who have registered are eligible to enjoy free medical treatment at the clinic located in Section 8,” the mayor said.

He added that hygiene and cleanliness would also be a priority in 2009.

Soon: `The owner of a closed eatery even said: ‘What’s wrong with being dirty as long as the food tastes good?’

Public Hygiene and Sanitation Committee head Michael Soon said a holistic approach should be taken to tackle cleanliness problems and that people should boycott dirty eateries.

“It’s sad to note that the situation has not changed much. The members of parliament and assemblymen should also co-operate and not take sides.

“The owner of a closed eatery even said: ‘What’s wrong with being dirty as long as the food tastes good?’ The press is hitting on MBPJ (over the issue of hygiene and cleanliness) as it’s more sensational, but why don’t the writers urge the readers to boycott the dirty eateries instead?” he said, adding that, “With garbage hanging on trees, it’s like we have Christmas trees all year long.”

On the issue of illegal billboards in PJ, the mayor announced that seven billboards would be taken down in two to three weeks’ time.

“These billboards were erected in such a way that they would endanger the public,” he said. The billboards that will be taken down include those that are located near the Seri Setia KTM station, Church of St. Francis Xavier and the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) field.

Councillor Derek Fernandez added, “The council is now fine-tuning the guidelines for billboards and we are studying , and deciding on, appropriate sites for the placement of billboards.”

Many councillors brought up the issue of the council’s delivery system and the need to buck up.

“The public wants to see visible changes. There should be service standards for services (such as mending potholes, cutting of trees) to be carried out within a certain time-frame,” Fernandez said.

In his speech, Roslan said that a Strategic Organisation Plan (Pelan Strategik Organisasi) was one of the ways to improve the city council’s delivery system.

“The Plan is important in the MBPJ as a whole as it would be the goal for every department’s plan and implementation.

“As the local authority, the MBPJ is the government’s front-line agency that is most important and closest to the public in delivering its services. Therefore, the services that the public gets from the MBPJ reflects the delivery system’s quality and efficiency as a whole,” he said.

Some councillors also brought up the issue of communication between councillors and the MBPJ department heads.

“Being part-time councillors, we may overlook certain matters as we are too busy, and the council staff just wait for us to follow up,” councillor Latheefa Beebi Koya said, pointing out that it was important for pro-active measures and for the councillors and MBPJ to work hand in hand.

Soon proposed that a Management for Change workshop be organised for councillors and MBPJ staff to deal with change since the Selangor state government is now under Pakatan Rakyat.

Council Anthony Thanasayan suggested that the MBPJ create more job opportunities for the disabled.

More details of the MBPJ 2009 budget are available on the MBPJ website http://www.mbpj.gov.my.

Thursday December 25, 2008

Listening to our needs

WHEEL POWER
BY ANTHONY THANASAYAN

TWO exciting events for the disabled and the elderly community took place in Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya recently. On Monday, Mid Valley Hotels Cititel and Boulevard in KL held their annual Christmas treat for members of Petpositive. This is the third year in a row and it has become a trademark event for them.

The half-day event included a hotel lunch followed by a high tea later in the afternoon by the swimming pool, which meant guests, comprising children, young people, adults and the elderly, were also free to take a dip in the pool.

Shopping was another item on the day’s programme and it was such a treat to be able to do this together with the general public who throng the malls at this time of the year to enjoy the Yuletide sounds and sights.

In each of our animal-assisted therapy society’s functions, we try to do something different for the people we reach out to. This time we decided to invite more than a dozen people from the poor communities in Kuala Langat, Selangor, to come along.

As a result – thanks to the area’s local councillor Janarthani Arumugam – our event was supported by the Kuala Langat district. The local council provided transport for the special guests to the function. Many of these good folk rarely have the opportunity to visit a big city or shopping complexes. For all of them, the visit to the hotel plus the outing was the first time they had done so.

Living as a disabled person in smaller towns is much harder than if one were living in a big city. The disabled in poorer families live in cramped homes. They often have hardly any space to manoeuvre wheelchairs and frequently resort to crawling with great difficulty to get around. Others are even told point-blank that they are a “burden on others”. Some disabled people resort to suicide to escape their plight.

These negative and depressing images are further compounded for the disabled person when there are no handicapped-friendly facilities for them.

That is why Petpositive regularly organises events, such as the one with Cititel. We hope they will break the stereotypes and encourage the disabled in the knowledge that they can have a better future.

By being exposed to an environment that caters to their needs, the handicapped will realise that they are of as much worth as the non-disabled. And this is one of the main reasons accessibility to the outside environment is vital for Malaysians with disabilities.

The second fantastic event that took place on Tuesday was the Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya’s (MBPJ) launch of its first of a total of 150 disabled-friendly parking bays.

What is special about these bays is that they will be protected from the rain and sun. This is a necessary feature that is frequently left out in other disabled-friendly car parks. The handicapped need more time than non-disabled persons to get in and out of their cars. At the MBPJ headquarters, the pathway from the car park to the office also has a covered ramp. The previous disabled parking bays were located a few feet away from the entrance and disabled persons had to cross the road to get to them.

I’m very encouraged that the local council decided to stick to details and do away with the previous bays and built new ones next to the entrance. By doing so, not only has MBPJ played a timely Santa, it is also most encouraging to note that it has listened well to our needs. This effectively says to all disabled persons in PJ: “Don’t worry, we have heard you. You can bravely come out now and we’re here to support you.”

Lauching a barrier free city - Malay Mail

Launching a barrier-free city

By Anu Venugopal December 24, 2008 Categories: News

Good news for the disabled community in Petaling Jaya: they will soon have 150 sheltered parking lots in designated areas around the city.

Petaling Jaya City Council yesterday officially launched its first sheltered car park, located outside the council’s office in Petaling Jaya.

"We hope to provide these specially designed car parks for the disabled within six months," said Petaling Jaya Mayor Mohamad Roslan Sakiman.

An additional 149 parking lots will be located near the post office, health office, multi-purpose hall, government offices and city centre to give the disabled more access to public facilities around Petaling Jaya in its efforts to become a barrier free city.

"I hope other councils around the country would follow suit and start providing car parks for the disabled," said Ronnie Liu, chairman of the Local Government, Research and Development Committee.

Funding for the project comes from the council’s own budget. The council plans to ensure all new developments accommodate parking lots for the disabled.

"I hope municipal councils will review new developments carefully and make sure the disabled are taken into consideration when building car parks, toilets and other facilities," added Liu.

The initiative was launch by Francis Siva, an advocate for the disabled, who drove his disabled-friendly car into the parking lot.

The council’s first disabled councillor, Anthony Thanasayan, believes the initiative is a good sign for the future, saying: "When completed, the new car parks will be helpful for the disabled, who want to live their lives as independently as possible."

Watch the video of the car park launch in MBPJ

Malaysiakini: First rainproof car park for the disabled

Imagine a disabled person trying to get in and out of the car in pouring rain. It's hard enough for a person carrying an umbrella but even harder if he or she is on wheelchair.

MCPX

Recognising this problem, the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) today launched the first sheltered parking space for the disabled at its headquarters.

The parking space is located next to the building's main entrance with the shelter extending to the nearby wheelchair ramp.

Speaking at the launch, wheelchair-bound MBPJ councillor Anthony Thanasayan lauded the creation of the special parking space.

"For anyone else it would take 2-3 minutes to get out of the car. But for a disabled person it takes 10-15 minutes. With this sheltered car park, we (have the luxury) to take our own sweet time," he said.

Thanasayan, who heads the council’s disabled expert committee, also welcomed the shift in mindset regarding the disabled.

"Even when we want to work, the toilet is not assessable to us. We are not affected by our disability but are affected by society lacking to provide for us to live like normal people.

"But this car park is a change in mindset and gives the disabled what we want," he added

150 special parking spaces

The MBPJ plans to create 150 specially designated parking spaces which will be located around the Petaling Jaya area.

The council hopes to fit at least 20 of these parking spaces with shelters.

Officiated by Selangor exco Ronnie Liu in the presence of Petaling Jaya mayor, Mohammad Roslan Sakiman, the event is part of the efforts towards creating a 'barrier free city' where people are free to move without physical, social and economic obstacles.

Meanwhile, MBPJ Developmental Planning Department director Sharipah Marhaini Syed Ali said another 149 designated parking spaces will be created in the next six months.

"They will be located at post-offices, heath centres, stadiums, malls and other places," she said.

For the moment, MBPJ is funding the implementation but the council hopes to get developers involved as well.

PJ Set To Become Disabled-Friendly - NST

PJ set to become disabled-friendly Sheila Sri Priya

An example of how the city’s paths can be dangerous to the disabled.

PETALING JAYA: The city council is set to make the city's roads and other facilities more disabled-friendly.

The council will build 150 covered disabled car parks and better walkways, ramps and pedestrian crossings, especially from Jalan Gasing to Jalan Changai.

The improvements are included under the council's budget for next year. According to the council's Engineering Department director Ismail Shafie, the first phase will be completed in March.

PJ councillor T. Anthony, who is disabled, said the upgrading works would meet the international standards for facilities for the disabled.

There are more than 250,000 disabled people in the country and their mobility is hampered by unfriendly infrastructure and facilities.

Celebration of OKU Day in Selayang from ILTC blog

BANDAR BARU SELAYANG - Meriah

Kemeriahan sekitar Sambutan Hari Orang Kurang Upaya (OKU) Sedunia anjuran Majlis Perbandaran Selayang (MPS), Jabatan Keselamatan Jalan Raya dan Badan Latihan & Hidup Berdikari (ILTC) yang berlangsung di hadapan pekarangan Stadium MPS, di sini minggu lalu. Satu Kempen Keselamatan dan Kesedaran Kemalangan Jalan Raya turut diadakan di mana sebanyak 120 jaket keselamatan dan topi keledar diberikan kepada OKU yang hadir dalam majlis tersebut.

Turut hadir Ahli Parlimen Selayang, William Leong Jee Keen, Yang Dipertua MPS, Zainal Adidin Azim dan Pengarah Jabatan Keselamatan Jalan Raya Selangor, Shah Rizan Mohamad Sirat.

Posted by ILTC MALAYSIA at Saturday, December 06, 2008 0 comments

Forced psychiatric drugs queried - bbc online

Psychiatric drugs force queried

Coerced medication can be used in psychiatric wards

The practice of forcing psychiatric patients to take medication is not backed by evidence, say UK researchers.

Very few rigorous investigations of the use of coerced medication have been done despite it being widespread, the Journal of Advanced Nursing reported.

The dearth of evidence is "unacceptable" and more should be done to find alternatives, the team said.

A spokeswoman for Mind said the threat of forced medication often stopped people seeking help in the first place.

Researchers from the Institute of Psychiatry and City University in London found 14 studies from seven countries on forcing psychiatric inpatients to take medication.

The threat of coerced medication can discourage people from seeking treatment when they need it and may damage the relationship between patients and mental heath professionals Alison Cobb, Mind

Most of the patients looked at had been admitted involuntarily, and they were slightly more likely to be female and in their 30s, the studies of patients and staff from the UK, USA, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Canada and Denmark, showed.

Most had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or another psychotic illness.

The practice seemed more common in the UK but that is probably because mechanical restraint is used more often in other countries to stop patients harming themselves and others.

There was little detail on the events leading up to the coerced medication incidents and "a complete absence" of investigation into alternatives, the researchers said.

Early intervention

Study leader Manuela Jarrett, a researcher at the Institute of Psychiatry and registered mental health nurse said she had hoped to find more evidence on the factors that lead up to coerced medication, what constitutes a risk and how long the patient has been on the ward.

"We also need more research into early intervention and whether that can prevent coerced medication."

"When you stop and think about it, its quite a drastic step."

She added that hospitals probably had different rates of how often they forced patients to take medication but the figures are not available for monitoring.

The lack of evidence suggests the procedure is taken for granted in psychiatric hospitals, she said.

"We feel that this is unacceptable and more needs to be done to establish sound clinical evidence and viable alternatives to this contentious approach."

Alison Cobb, senior policy and campaign's officer at the mental health charity, Mind, said forcing patients to take medication against their will was "extremely distressing" for them.

"Their freedom is taken away and people are often left feeling powerless, frightened and helpless."

"The threat of coerced medication can discourage people from seeking treatment when they need it and may damage the relationship between patients and mental heath professionals.

"We urgently need to see more studies on this issue, particularly exploring the use of alternative treatments and how to include service users fully in making decisions about treatments."

Recent NST report on Petpositive meeting with MPSJ

Uproar as council says officers have immunity Naveen Mathew Menon

N. Surendran, President of Malaysian Animal Rights and Welfare Association, is appalled by the Subang Jaya Municipal Council’s stand on the issue of the dog that was supposedly abused by the council’s dog catchers.

SUBANG JAYA: There was uproar when animal rights activists met city council officials here to discuss the reported cruelty of the council's dog catchers.

The activists walked out after they were told that the council intended to take action against the reporter and newspaper which wrote about the incident two weeks ago.

It had been supposed to be a friendly discussion, said N. Surendran, president of the Malaysian Animal Rights and Welfare Association (ROAR).

But they were appalled by the council's legal officer's reply to what action would be taken against those alleged to have maltreated a dog two weeks ago.

"He said the council will consider lodging a police report against the reporter and the newspaper as well as the people who told the reporter that council officers had mistreated the dog," he quoted the officer as saying.

It was reported on Nov 10 that an independent dog rescuer saw a group of five men, several in council uniforms, beating a dog and forcing it through the railings of a locked gate in Bandar Kinrara. She lodged a report at the Puchong police station.

The Society for the Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals (SPCA) then issued a report on the incident confirming that the dog was injured. It has since been removed from the dog pound and is being treated by a veterinarian.

Surendran said under the Animal Act 1953, any person who cruelly beats, kicks, ill-treats or tortures any animal is guilty of an offence and is liable to a fine of RM200 or imprisonment for six months or both.

He said the council's legal officer held that the term "any person" did not include council officers who, the officer claimed, are immune from prosecution. Surendran said the officer had stated that this was according to advice from the Attorney General's Chambers.

"Dr Abdul Rahim Ahmad, head of the council's Health Division chaired the meeting, at which three councillors were present.

"We implored the chairman and the councillors to dissociate themselves from the legal officer's threats but they refused," he told reporters.

Anthony Siva Balan Thanasayan, president of the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (Petpositive) and Susan Khoo of Malaysians for Animal Welfare were also present.

Councillor Datuk Dr N. Subramaniam, who was at the meeting, said he was told the dog was diseased.

Petpositive secretary Shenaaz Khan said: "Irrespective of whether the dog was diseased, it was cruelly yanked from underneath a gate and sustained further injuries."