Disabled groups flay MPs
Malaysiakini
Sep 19, 2006
Fauwaz Abdul Aziz

Heads must roll! This is the stand of the Independent Living and Training Centre which is fed up of politicians making insensitive statements about people with disabilities. 
 
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz was singled out for their lack of sensitivity to the conditions and challenges faced by the disabled.

“They should resign, as they are morally unfit to represent anyone from the disabled community,” said an angry G Francis Siva, who heads the Rawang-based group.

“As political leaders they can change the lives of the disabled, but these people don’t have the moral integrity to stay within the bounds of propriety.”

Francis was referring to Nazri’s disparaging remark in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday about DAP national chairperson and Bukit Gelugor MP Karpal Singh, who is confined to a wheelchair as a result of injuries sustained in a road accident.

“You are just jealous because I am standing,” said Nazri, after Karpal repeatedly called on the minister to sit down.

Nazri and Karpal called one another “mad”. At one point, Nazri accused Fong Po Kuan (DAP-Batu Gajah) of being deaf, only somewhat retracting the statement upon her insistence, to say that she was “hearing-impaired”.

Francis said that it is sad that the disabled are being used as tools of disparagement, when they already suffer from discrimination and marginalisation in the formulation and development of policies in transportation, infrastructure and education.

“We are losing our dignity at the hands of parliamentarians. How can they use us in this way? We already don’t have many facilities (for the disabled). They don’t help the disabled much, but use us to fight one another,” he said.

‘Learn about disabled’

Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association president T Anthony echoed the objections, saying that politicians should attend courses to learn about the disabled and their sensitivities.

“If you talk about the disabled, you should be talking about how to change the country’s physical structures and laws, and how to make tougher laws against discriminating against the disabled,” he said.

“Talking about the disabled should not merely be occasions for name-calling. This shows that our leaders need to take courses to know more about the lives of the disabled. If they understand what it means to be disabled, they would not (stoop) to such low levels.”

Anthony noted that Karpal’s confinement to a wheelchair underscored the fact that anyone can become disabled.

“I don’t mean to be mean or sound like I want anybody to be disabled, but this can be a good thing for the disabled community,” he said, as it could pressure lawmakers to address the needs of those with disabilities.

“Many of us will never walk again, and we are not interested in walking again. (Famed physicist) Stephen Hawking is not interested in walking again. Our interest is only to ensure that despite our disabilities we can still live our lives to the fullest.”

He also ticked off Karpal for using the word "mad" in his war of words with Nazri.

Damai Disabled Persons Association of Selangor and Federal Territory president V Murugeswaran, said it is unbecoming of politicians to condemn a person’s physical or mental condition.

“Even if they were arguing, they should not have used such terms,” he said.