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Thursday April 25, 2013

Exercising our right to vote

WHEEL POWER
By ANTHONY THANASAYAN


Polling stations should be disabled-friendly to make life easier for the physically challenged.

COME May 5, Malaysians will be taking part in one of the country’s most eagerly anticipated polls in history. They will be going to the ballot boxes to pick their respective candidates to form the next elected government.

People with disabilities and the elderly will also be among them. For many of them, the struggle would have started even before they arrive at their voting venue.

At the last general election in 2008, I encountered at least a couple of major difficulties in my wheelchair, though the local school which was used as a polling station was only about 200 metres from my house.

I had to wheel myself dangerously on the road, dodging cars and other hazards. The pavement was too high or narrow for my wheelchair to access.

When I arrived at the school, I had to cross over a small drain to get into the classroom where the votes were being cast. Instead of having the drain covered, I was carried in my wheelchair over it.

You can imagine how scary this was for me, especially when I was being helped by persons who had no idea of how to handle a wheelchair. I could immediately tell by the way I was carried.

It was worse for my pal Chong Tuck Meng, 52, from Bentong, Pahang. Chong became paralysed from the chest down following a motorcycle accident 30 years ago,

During the last election, Chong had to get two strong men friends to help him get ready, before they took a taxi to the polling station which was located in a school 1km away.

Chong had to be carefully carried in and out of the taxi by his friends. As soon as Chong entered the classroom to cast his vote, his friends were told to leave. He was expected to manage on his own like a non-disabled person.

But Chong was unable to push himself in his wheelchair because his arms were not strong enough.

When asked for his IC, he struggled to take it out of his wallet because his fingers were paralysed. He had to ask an officer for help. Chong also had to ask the officers to wheel him to the voting cubicle.

Chong had to hold the ballot slips in his mouth, and struggled to mark “X” next to the candidate of his choice. The voting booth was too high for wheelchair users, too.

Till today, Chong is not sure if his vote actually went through because it took a considerable amount of strength and effort on his part to mark an “X” on the ballot slip.

The good news is that for the first time, disabled voters will now be allowed to bring along their personal helpers.

“The blind community is delighted by this move as more of them will be able to exercise their right to vote in the polls,”says Yam Tong Woo, president of the Adult Blind Association of Selangor.

“Now with a helper of their choice, the blind need not rely on their family members or a total stranger (an officer at the polling station) to cast their votes. Many blind people live away from their families or have no support from them. As such, finding a trusted friend is a godsend solution,” Yam adds.

“There is no discrimination for people with learning disabilities when it comes to voting,” says Dr Noraini Zainal Abidin. Her son, who has cerebral palsy, is a registered voter.

“It’s important for the people at the voting booth to have a basic understanding of what learning disabilities is about and what kind of support should be provided for them on polling day,” she adds.

Yeong Moh Foong, lead coordinator of United Voice, a self-help group for persons with learning disabilities, concurs.

“Parents play a vital role in educating and assisting them in the voting process,” says Yeong.

For the Deaf, meanwhile, polling centres should outline clearly the voting process on a public board and have someone proficient in sign language.

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