Disabled Hawker To Get Her License Soon

Changing location is discrimination say disabled!

DATELINE TAMAN MEGAH MARKET, PETALING JAYA: 

EVERY EFFORT is being made by the relevant parties and volunteers to help wheelchair-bound hawker Cha Sher Nee (Shirley) to obtain a license so that she can finally operate her business here legally.

"I have asked the licensing department of the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) to speed up the registration process for Shirley.

"This will include going over to her stall to meet her and collating all the necessary details in order to speed up the process," said Anthony Thanasayan to PET+BLOGSPOT last night. 

Thanasayan: Won't stop till its over

Thanasayan who serves as chairman of the disability technical committee of MBPJ said that he is working hard to get Shirley her license and once that is over, he considers his work at the site as accomplished.

Shirley had been operating from her stall since September of last year. He slot has been specially designed to accommodate her wheelchair.  

Shirley and four other hawkers who had drawn legal lots to their stalls in the front row of their market were suddenly asked to move to the third row away from an open view recently. This was so that the able-bodied vegetable traders on the third row could come to the front where they argued was more suited to display their vegetables.

The five hawkers who were asked to move claimed that they were being unfairly and intensely pressured to agree with the vegetable sellers demands which led them to make police reports against their harassers where the MBPJ councillor for the area was also named.

A total of three press conferences were held by the victims last week in which Thanasayan was present in each of them.

The first protest

"I was there as part of my job as MBPJ councillor to represent all the victims who strongly felt that they were victimized by a hard-headed decision that did not take their needs and rights into condisideration," explained Thanasayan.

The first time was to represent MBPJ and receive a memorandum by the disability nongovernmental organisations at the market in order to hand it over to the mayor.

The second was when the group made their police reports. 

A smiling Shirley with Dr Jayakumar

And the third was in helping them hand over a memorandum to Dr Xavier Jayakumar, the Selangor Exco who held the porfolio for a caring government.

More than a dozen wheelchair users including the blind turned up at the state secretariat office to meet up with Dr Xavier. 

They were then treated to a delicious private lunch in the Exco's office. 

Wong spoke up for Shirley

The matter was a hot topic at the Selangor executive meeting last Wednesday where Dr Xavier and Elizabeth Wong, state exco for tourism, consumer affairs and environment, was reported to have championed the hawkers' cause.

On the same day, state exco head for local councils Ronnie Liu held a private discussion with Thanasayan and Tiew to gather all the facts of the events.

Ronnie: Respect Rights

After the three-hour powwow, Ronnie concluded that the status quo be maintained and that disabled persons' rights be always respected by everyone.

"Find other ways to solve the problem for the hawkers without disturbing the five hawkers who have a right to their lots," he advised.

The head of the Taman Megah residents' association Francis Lee is delighted that good sense has prevailed over the controversy.

"I am so happy for Shirley and the rest of the hawkers. We should always give our support to those who are disadvantaged in our society," he said.

Francis is also working hard to get Shirley her license.

He had helped Shirley file in her application for a license last year. However, MBPJ says it cannot find a record of it.      


PET+BLOGSPOT is the ONLINE BLOG of the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association or Petpositive. Our stories are CURRENT, ACCURATE and RELIABLE. We offer both local and foreign news on animals, disability and the elderly. PET+BLOGSPOT was first established in October 2007. Our hits since then are now 100,000 and ever increasing! PET+BLOGSPOT is updated daily. Kindly note that views expressed in this PET+BLOGSPOT are not necessarily those of PETPOSITIVE. You may also visit our Webpage by browsing: www.petpositive.com.my You can also find us in Facebook under PETPOSITIVE EMPOWERMENT. Please sign up as a FOLLOWER of this Blog if you haven't done so already in order to show us your kind support for our work. Thank you!