I saw this on Brand Malaysia
Malaysia, do we care enough?
It must be said that all the lip service by Malaysian leaders about
a caring society is merely sweet nothings. Sweet to hear but nothing
done. Our country, Malaysia, has a very poor record of managing and
providing for the needs of disabled people, as it is. Often, we see
people parking in spots reserved for the disabled, and most buildings
are planned without taking into account the need for the disabled.
Often, there is no specially designed and designated toilets for them.
I was once confined to a wheelchair for a month after a severe track
accident caused a badly fractured leg. I know how difficult it is to
piss in a normal urinal when confined to a wheelchair, and getting
around is no joke either.
Let us take the same context, but this time, under the circumstances
of an earthquake. It was widely reported in Malaysia, of people running
down the stairwells in fear during a recent earthquake that struck off Nias Island. What if you were in a wheelchair?
A fellow blogger needs our help
Peter Tan, a fellow blogger
faced this problem recently. During the height of the quake, this
blogger was posting entries. Through our conversations, he revealed
that he was fearful yet felt helpless. It prompted him to write to the
building manager, and request that an orderly evacuation plan be
created, of course, taking into account the safe removal of the
disabled.
He was branded a troublemaker. That's caring
Malaysians for you. With all the media hype about the quake, and
disaster response, NOBODY bothered about the plight people like Peter
Tan faced. His letters has gone largely ignored. His latest
correspondence, copied to the Chief Minister of Penang, dated 30th
March 2005, has so far produced nothing. So much for enlisting the help
of public representatives. Frankly I am ashamed. [Link: Peter Tan's latest correspondence ]. It was written a day after I blogged about his plea. I made a promise to myself, and Peter, I intend to keep it.
Help make the difference
We all blog for different reasons. Amongst all those reasons, there
lies one commonality, and that reason is to make a difference. It might
not be a big difference, and it might even be to make a difference
within our individual sphere of existence, by reaching out to each
other. I write this to ask my readers, bloggers or otherwise, to help
Peter Tan make a difference. Help him feel that he is not alone in his
plight, and that his blogging, has allowed him to reach out to all of
us, in support of his plea.
While there might be Malaysians might not bother what happens to
Peter Tan, I do, and I am sure many of you share this feeling. Let us,
as one voice, make it be heard that we support Peter Tan's quest to
feel safer at home. The last earthquake prompted many to relook at many
issues, like the structural safety of our buildings and early warning
systems. Why not this? It entails lives too.
Please place the banner you see in this entry on your blog sidebar,
and if you can, please blog about this issue. Demand that the
authorities pay more attention to the plight of the disabled.
Place this code in your blog
This is the code for you to place in your sidebar;
<a
href="http://www.brandmalaysia.com/movabletype/archives/2005/04/malaysia_-_the.html"
><img alt="blogdemand.png"
src="http://www.brandmalaysia.com/movabletype/archives/blogdemand.png"
></a>
Anyone clicking on the small banner will be redirected to this post,
so that they too may be privy to the plight that I have raised. If you
do not blog, you may leave your comments here for the support of the
plea. Demand Peter's sanity and his safety, and those who need a little
more caring than most.
Malaysians need to be more caring, and this does not mean caring for
ourselves. Sometimes fate deals some of us a more challenging task.
There is nothing wrong with extending a helping hand to these folks.
