SATURDAY SPOTLIGHT: WASTED OPPORTUNITY

1297 VISITORS YESTERDAY.

Malaysiakini: Toyo Resigns - What About Promise To Help Vulnerable Groups?

QUICK COMMENT: My only question is what happens to the elderly and other minority groups that Dr Toyo said he wants to register in order to see if the Opposition will deliver free medical treatment (among others) for them? Let's hope that there will be a proper follow up and that this won't be another case of vulnerable groups being used again for politicians' purposes.

aNt

PET+BLOGSPOT

Malaysiakini Story:



Former Selangor Menteri Besar Mohd Khir Toyo has relinquished his posts as the state’s Umno and Barisan Nasional chief.
This is the second resignation by a senior Umno leader in just a day. The first to call it quits was Umno Secretary-General Radzi Sheikh Ahmad who made his announcement this morning. Radzi also resigned as Barisan Nasional secretary-general.
"I assume responsibility for the heavy (electoral) loss suffered by Umno and BN in Selangor and therefore resign from my posts with immediate effect," Khir told a packed press conference held at the Umno office in Shah Alam.
When asked if he thought that his decision was hasty, a sombre Khir said that if he was to delay his resignation, trouble would brew in Umno ranks.
"This will lead to divisions in the party. I notice that there is already a blame game (for the Umno’s electoral losses) among party members. To prevent this, I assume full responsibility over the loss.
"My resignation is in accordance to my belief that a leader must take full responsibility. This is the best thing to do for Selangor," he said.
Khir is the first Umno leader to quit and claim responsibility for the heavy defeat suffered by Umno and BN in the March 8 polls.

Muhammad returns

Selangor had for the first time in Malaysian politics fallen into opposition hands following the 12^th general election results that saw the opposition grabbing 36 out of the state’s 50 seats.
Khir, however, had managed to survive the opposition onslaught and retained his Sungai Panjang state seat with a 5,828 majority - 368 more votes than what he had garnered at the 2004 polls.
"I apologise to Selangor Umno members. I promise that I will do my best to cooperate with the new leadership and wrest the state back from the opposition (current government)," he said.
Khir denied being pressured to resign saying that his quit decision was "... based on my own conscience".
Khir said that he had met Umno president Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as well as deputy president Najib Razak two days ago to tender his resignation letter.
He said both leaders had accepted his decision with his replacement being former Selangor menteri besar Muhammad Muhammad Taib who has also been appointed to Abdullah’s new cabinet as rural and regional development minister.
"I will support and I also urge all Selangor Umno members to show undivided loyalty to the new leadership and be focused on winning back the state in the coming polls," Khir said.
"This is no time for quarrels and I call on every on every party member to be united," he added.
Muhammad Muhammad Taib, who was at the press conference, declined to comment when approached by reporters.

SATURDAY SPOTLIGHT: Time For Action

A WOW WEEKEND

WHAT AN AMAZING WEEKEND the just concluded one turned out to be!

I was virtually bedridden on Thursday with a horrible fever that I had to call a doctor over to see me. She soon sorted my infection out with a strong dose of antibiotics.

Fortunately I had my dogs with me 24/7. That helped tremendously to keep my positive spirits up at all times.

My worst worry was that I would be too sick to go out and vote on Saturday last weekend.

Fortunately for me, the antibiotics did the trick. It broke my fever within 24 hours.

The next thing I knew, Petpositive's helper and member Dr Chung Tze Yang was wheeling me to the local school in our neighbourhood to vote.

But not before Ntv7 catching up with us at the front gate, and me giving an interview for them after Dr Chung and I had voted.

I was impressed with the SPR people because the moment they spotted me, one of them came forward to help - even though Dr Chung was wheeling me.
This I thought was a good thing as extra help is always a sight for sore eyes for the disabled and even a caregiver.

The SPR guy however did struggle with my wheelchair a bit. He obviously didn't know how to lift it up over the tiny step into the classroom which was my voting room.

Another good part of having him with me was that he told me exactly what I needed to do inside the classroom - except who to vote for, of course! He was there also in case I could not reach the ballot boxes and needed help.

Having said that, I am extremely disappointed to learn that not all the disabled had assistance the way I did when they went to vote.

Some centres refused to open the gates to allow disabled drivers inside the compound. Others were made to unnecessarily wheel up steep hills. This was true even for persons with walking difficulties.

I was also disappointed to note that the school in which I voted - Catholic High School in Section 10 - had not improved at all on its accessibility features since I've been voting there for over three elections.

This means that students in wheelchairs are not at all welcome in their school which really is a horrible thing for any school to do in this day and age.

That - and the accessibility of all schools for wheelchairs is something I certainly will bring up to the new Selangor Menteri Besar when he takes office.

After the voting, I was interviewed by Radio24 - the broadcaster operated by the Malaysian News Agency Bernama in Kuala Lumpur.

The interview was done as I sat in my parked car somewhere in Gasing Indah in Petaling Jaya.

The studio called me on my mobile phone.

The main thing I said was that elections were wonderful because it made disabled and non disabled people truly equal through our voting rights.

Then came the shock and awe news of the elections results on Sunday morning.

From what I gather, many Malaysians are glad over the outcome with the opposition having five states now to their name.

They also have a much sizable representation in Parliament too.

Selangor in particular has gone to the opposition, namely Parti Keadilan Rakyat it appears.

I am personally delighted in looking forward to having a new Selangor Mentri Besar soon.

However, the main question is how aware will our new boys and gals in the non Barisan be about the needs of people with disabilities?

And animal rights, too. Let's not forget that!

This will certainly be a challenge for Petpositive to take up in the next five years.

Happy New Government everybody!

aNt
PET+BLOGSPOT

Disabled, Elderly And Our General Elections

SATURDAY SPOTLIGHT: Here is a letter published in The Sun on the fourth of this month by Captain AKS Russell, one of Our Society's eminent advisers. On this day when Malaysians go to vote at the polls, his thoughts give us much to think about especially in how we treat the disabled and elderly in our Society.

Change the hard reality for disabled and elderly

(Tue, 04 Mar 2008)

The 12th general election falls on March 8, and on that day voters will elect new members of Parliament and State Legislatures.
A substantial percentage of voters will be disabled in one way or the other, and many will be senior citizens. They include the deaf, blind, elderly and infirm, those using wheelchairs, those with walking difficulties, and those suffering from disabling diseases, will all be voting for the candidates of their choice.
All these people have specific and vital needs, which if fulfilled, will enable them to fully participate in all aspects of daily life. Sadly and shamefully for Malaysia, in the past their needs have never been met, they have been excluded, marginalised, shunned and neglected.
There has been lots talking, numerous unproductive seminars, studies, overseas study tours and many half-hearted promises, but when one takes a look around, very little change, or anything of substance has materialised.
Even in Kuala Lumpur it is most difficult, if not impossible for those with disabilities, and the aged to used public transport, or to gain access to buildings, even those housing civil service offices, banks, post offices and the like.
Some examples of totally inaccessible pubic transport are the KL Monorail, all but one of the LRT systems, most of the buses (even the RapidKL so called "Disabled Accessible Buses" are poorly designed), the KTM Komuter train service, express buses, etc.
There are numerous specific examples of inaccessible buildings. These include banks (Maybank, Affin Bank, etc., and many Post Office branches which are located in the first floor of buildings where no lift is provided and in some cases even when there is a lift, it can only be used after negotiating several steps. Even some hospitals and clinics are inaccessible to wheelchair users.
Many new buildings do not even comply with existing laws which stipulate basic requirements regarding accessibility. One can be excused for speculating that this is due to cases of bribery and corruption, resulting in non-enforcement of the law.
Disabled pedestrians, especially the blind and those using wheelchairs are defeated in their efforts to go out by either the total absence of pavements, or pavements which more often than not have high curbs without wheelchair ramps or have ramps which are so steep as to be useless and potentially hazardous.
Obstructions impede the use of pavements; these may be open drains and manholes, trees, hawker stalls, lampposts, signs, etc.
The absence of, or incorrectly installed, tactile markings to guide the blind, low and badly sited signposts which will be a danger not only to the blind but also to others add to the precariousness of walking.
The lights on pedestrian controlled crossings either do not work, or do not have an audible signal for the benefit of the blind, and the lack of walkways across the central road reservations (like those in Cyberjaya, the new multimedia super corridor city) at some pedestrian crossings, and other shortcomings only add to the problem.
(There are so many things wrong, that a full report would encompass several volumes, even for Kuala Lumpur alone.)
Detailed studies regarding accessibility for the disabled have been carried out in Kuala Lumpur, Penang and elsewhere in the past. One such study was conducted by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (Jica), but studies such as these seem to have been a complete waste of time and money, and they must be gathering dust in the "file & forget" category, since both KL City Hall (DBKL) and the government have apparently never acted upon them.
In towns and cities elsewhere in Malaysia the situation is even more appalling.
Take Seremban for example, where even the able bodied are dicing with death whenever they try to cross the road.
The newly elected representatives of each and every area of every state, and the new MPs need to get out and about and witness for themselves how backward Malaysia is when it comes to providing access for all by using the principles of Universal Design.
Then they should pledge to be fully committed to ensuring that during their term of office they fulfil their duties to serve all the people including the disabled and the elderly.
Mere words, token handouts, patronisation and words of pity are not appreciated, and are demeaning. What is required is sincerity, true commitment, and the correct positive action to make certain that everywhere in Malaysia is barrier free, accessible to all and that discrimination of the disabled and the elderly is a thing of the past.
The recent Federal Legislation (Act 685 - Persons With Disabilities Act 2008) is a useless and toothless Act, which is only for show, mere lip service and a pathetic attempt to silence the disabled.
Such tactics will never be successful.
What is required is a comprehensive Disability Discrimination Act which makes it an offence for anyone, be it the government, the civil service, an organisation, a private company or other body individually or collectively to discriminate against the disabled in any way whatsoever. This Act should also contain provisions which allow those using service animals, for example, guide dogs for the blind, hearing dogs for the deaf, seizure alert dogs for epileptics, and other service and assistance animals, to bring their service animals anywhere without restriction.
Such a Disability Discrimination Act could be modelled after legislation in force in many countries such as the UK, the US, Australia and elsewhere.
On behalf of all the disabled in Malaysia, and all such visitors, sincere thanks to the elected leaders for reading this, and for hopefully pledging to take steps to ensure substantial improvements for the disabled and the elderly.
Abdul Karim Stuart Russell
Advisor
Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy For The Disabled And Elderly Association
(PetPositive)

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THE STAR: HELP DISABLED AT POLLING CENTRES

Special care
WHEEL POWER WITH ANTHONY THANASAYAN
The disabled and the elderly should not be treated like the rest of the crowd on polling day.

IN TWO days’ time voters across the country will go to the polls. This Saturday’s event is expected to be one of the most exciting general elections in recent years.
As for me, I can’t wait to get to the ballot boxes; I intend to do this first thing in the morning.
Although my home is about 250m away from the school which serves as a polling centre, I have to get up about two to three hours earlier to prepare for the event.
That is usually the length of time it takes for a person like me, who has no help at home, to get ready before I go out anywhere. And let’s not discount the pressure sores. If you have them, which many of us in wheelchairs do, it may take even longer. This is because wounds can start to bleed anytime. And when they do, immediate attention is required.
Choosing a political party or a local representative is not the only major decision that I will have to make on Election Day.

Polling station personnel should give special attention to voters with limited mobility.

First, I will have to decide how to get there. Should I wheel myself to the school or drive there? If I wheel myself there, I do not have to worry about looking for someone to help me get my wheelchair in and out of the car.
If I drive there, will the kind gentleman who tries to help me have some basic knowledge of how to handle disabled and elderly people and their wheelchairs? This is important because a small slip can be disastrous for the disabled.
It would be good if the Election Commission and the parties concerned see to it that there are properly trained personnel at the voting centres to help the handicapped and elderly when they come in on Saturday.
Extra wheelchairs, say as many as 10 for each venue, would be a welcome sight. This would be a godsend for people with walking difficulties, as well as the elderly.
And perish any thought of stationing the ballot boxes on any other floor except the ground floor. Wheelchairs are not designed to be carried. In fact, nowadays many of them are built with detachable parts for the benefit of users. Trying to carry them can easily cause an arm- or foot-rest to come off, creating a situation for the helper.
Disabled and elderly persons should never be made to queue up, no matter what time they arrive. This is because many of the schools and polling centres do not have wheelchair-friendly toilets.
When nature calls, there is no time to waste for people with much slower movements, especially when they also suffer from weak bladders or poor bowel control.
For the effort that these people take to go out and cast their votes, the least that the voting centre authorities can do is show them some understanding, appreciation and support, and not treat them like the rest of the crowd.
Visually impaired voters, who are said to number about 20,000 in the country, frequently face a dilemma during the general election. They need assistance in picking out the candidate and party of their choice, because ballot papers in Braille are not provided here.
A few blind persons have told me that some of the centres allow their close family members or friends to help them cast their votes, while others had insisted that a representative from the centre help them instead.
However, the blind, who subsequently voted this way, went away not really knowing if their votes were cast according to their wishes.

PRESS STATEMENT BY SILA ON GENERAL ELECTIONS

Press Release by Sustainable Independent Living & Access (SILA) c/o Socio-Economic & Environmental Research Institute, Penang, Malaysia.

Website: http://www.seri.com.my

SILA Penang is a coalition of NGOs and individuals working for the promotion and protection of the rights of Persons with Disabilities.

SILA would like to call upon all persons with disabilities and their families and care providers to come out in full force and vote in this coming election which will be held on the 8 March 2008.

Disabled people in Malaysia have suffered enough obstacles and direct and indirect discrimination in their quest for equal participation in society. Disabled people in Malaysia must now make their voices heard.

It is a form of discrimination against the disabled people if they have difficulties getting information on the candidates and in accessing their places for voting if they are located in upper floors of classrooms with no lifts; when the trusted relative or friend of a blind or low vision voter is not allowed to assist him / her in casting the ballot. Therefore the request from the disabled people for assistance in this respect is not for special privileges but steps towards equalization of opportunities.

SILA would like to call upon the Election Commission to instruct and train all its officers and polling staff across the country to give all the necessary assistance to disabled persons to exercise their right to vote in secrecy.

This includes immediate steps to set up the special streams at every polling centre for senior citizens, disabled people, pregnant women and women with young children so that they do not have to queue up and wait for a long time to cast their ballots.

SILA would like to urge the Presiding officers, polling staff and police personnel at the polling stations to be aware of this provision by the Election Commission as stated in its website and to be pro-active and offer assistance to disabled people without having to be asked, for example, help provide parking lots for them, lend a helping hand to wheelchair users or those with mobility problems and to allow trusted relatives and friends selected by the disabled persons to assist the blind and others who have difficulties in holding the pencil to cast their ballots.

Further, we urge the Election Commission to provide cut-out templates with candidates’ names in Braille be made available to the blind at all polling centres.

SILA would like to urge all disabled people, their families and care providers to actively find out more about each candidate who is standing in their respective constituency and to vote only for those who support the rights of the disabled, who will speak up on our behalf and who will act to promote our rights. We must remember to vote against those who said that our disability is “punishment from God” and those with similar prejudices.

SILA urges all candidates to spell out their programs in relation to what they will do if elected to ensure that the rights and interest of all persons with disabilities and their families are protected.

Sincerely,

Tan Chin Chin (陳甄甄)

Coordinator, SILA Penang

On behalf of SILA Members and Supporting Individuals

l The Cerebral Palsy (Spastic) Children's Association of Penang

l Eden Handicap Service Centre l St. Nicholas Home for the Blind

l Asia Community Service l Y-Self Reliance Centre for the Deaf

l Penang Deaf Association l Society of Disabled Persons Penang

l Old Nicolites Association l Autism Support Association Penang

l Penang Down Syndrome Association

l Society of the Blind, Malaysia (SBM), Penang Branch

l Persatuan Orang Cacat Malaysia (POCAM)

l Socio-economic & Environmental Research Institute (SERI)

l Lim Kah Cheng l Tan Kuan Aw

l William Brohier

PARLIAMENT DISSOLVED! THE EXCITEMENT BEGINS

For those of you who can't wait until tomorrow to read The Star's report on the dissolution of Parliament today, here it is. According to one of PETPOSITIVE'S source, the elections will be held on March 8, 2008.
Whatever the case, we all know that the polls this time round is going to be very exciting. The question in everyone's mind is whether the Barisan Nasional will be able to retain its two-third majority.
PET+BLOGSPOT

Here's The Star's report:

PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has announced that Parliament has been dissolved, paving the way for the 12th general election.
At a hastily convened press conference at his office Wednesday afternoon, he said he had met the Yang Di Pertuan Agong in the morning and received His Majesty's consent to dissolve Parliament.
"I've informed Parliament and the Election Commission," Abdullah said. The state assemblies have also been advised to dissolve.
The Prime Minister declined to speculate on what date Malaysians would cast their ballots, saying that it would be up to the Election Commission (EC) to decide.
"I am confident of winning, and I hope that we will retain our two-thirds majority," he said.
The ruling Barisan Nasional coalition swept to a landslide victory in the last general election in 2004.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission said it would announce polling and nomination day on Thursday at its office in Putrajaya.
The Election Commission held several meetings Wednesday in preparation for the Prime Minister's announcement of the dissolution of Parliament.
“We have got the declaration on the dissolution of Parliament by the Yang Di Pertuan Agong and the announcement of nomination and polling will be done tomorrow," said EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman.
When asked if nomination day was February 21 and election day on March 2nd, he said: “You can speculate anything you want. The official announcement is tomorrow.
“You wait for the official announcement,” he added.
Abdul Rashid also said, "We want to make sure of fairness in this election process. We will ensure the appropriate time and space is given for the parties to choose their candidates and for campaigning."
Election rules
The general election must be held within 60 days of Parliament being dissolved, in accordance with Article 55(4) of the Federal Constitution.
Once Dewan Rakyat is dissolved, the tenure of all MPs automatically ends, which also means that they stop enjoying the privileges, perks, and powers related to their function.
Until the next Parliament is convened, the country is run by a caretaker government.
The caretaker government's role is to keep the government machinery running, and should not involve making policy changes or formulating new legislation.