The Sun part 2 of 2, April 3, 2006

Groups want council to cancel court action, apologise to Gurdip
by S. Tamarai Chelvi and V. Magessan



PETALING JAYA: The Klang Municipal Council (MPK) should cancel the notice of court action and arrest warrant issued against Gurdip Kaur Pritam Singh immediately, disabled groups and political parties urged.
Anthony Thanasayan, adviser to Independent Living and Training Centre, said the incident reflected the council's total lack of understanding and awareness of the plight of the disabled.

He said disabled people are afraid to go out.

Anthony said when there is no understanding and appreciation to the struggle they go through, it is no wonder many disabled persons refuse to venture out.

He said it is morally wrong to charge a disabled person for parking when the council do not provide disabled-friendly car parks.

He said the council should instead apologise to Gurdip Kaur for putting her through this.

Chong Tuck Meng, an adviser and founder of Perwira K9, a support group for people with spinal cord injuries (K9 is the name of the spinal ward of Hospital Kuala Lumpur), said MPK should withdraw the summons after knowing that the vehicle belongs to a disabled person.

He said the public should encourage disabled people to go out.

He said his members have their own cars but find parking a major problem.

He said it is difficult to get a taxi as most cabbies find it troublesome to ferry a disabled person and they charge extra.

In a statement to the press, Gerakan youth secretary general Hoo Saw Ho urged the Ministry of Housing and Local Government to work out an effective plan to resolve parking problems faced by the disabled.

The statement also asked the ministry to provide more allocation under 9th Malaysian Plan to upgrade the parking facilities.

He called for more special parking lots and for disabled person to be issued parking stickers.

theSun went with Gurdip yesterday to check out the parking bay in front of the Mariamman Temple in Klang which she had used.

We found that the parking ticket machine was built on an elevated concrete base. It was clear Gurdip Kaur could never reach the coin slot.

MPK public relations officer Norfiza Mahfiz said Gurdip Kaur should see them personally and speak to the legal adviser or the council president for a discount on the fines.

MPK legal advisee Fadzilah Abdul Aziz said they will look into the case and will consider cancelling the summons if the owner of the car is genuinely disabled.



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PETALING JAYA: The Klang Municipal Council (MPK) should cancel the notice of court action and arrest warrant issued against Gurdip Kaur Pritam Singh immediately, disabled groups and political parties urged. Anthony Thanasayan, adviser to Independent Living and Training Centre, said the incident reflected the council's total lack of understanding and awareness of the plight of the disabled. He said disabled people are afraid to go out. Anthony said when there is no understanding and appreciation to the struggle they go through, it is no wonder many disabled persons refuse to venture out. He said it is morally wrong to charge a disabled person for parking when the council do not provide disabled-friendly car parks. He said the council should instead apologise to Gurdip Kaur for putting her through this. Chong Tuck Meng, an adviser and founder of Perwira K9, a support group for people with spinal cord injuries (K9 is the name of the spinal ward of Hospital Kuala Lumpur), said MPK should withdraw the summons after knowing that the vehicle belongs to a disabled person. He said the public should encourage disabled people to go out. He said his members have their own cars but find parking a major problem. He said it is difficult to get a taxi as most cabbies find it troublesome to ferry a disabled person and they charge extra. In a statement to the press, Gerakan youth secretary general Hoo Saw Ho urged the Ministry of Housing and Local Government to work out an effective plan to resolve parking problems faced by the disabled. The statement also asked the ministry to provide more allocation under 9th Malaysian Plan to upgrade the parking facilities. He called for more special parking lots and for disabled person to be issued parking stickers. theSun went with Gurdip yesterday to check out the parking bay in front of the Mariamman Temple in Klang which she had used. We found that the parking ticket machine was built on an elevated concrete base. It was clear Gurdip Kaur could never reach the coin slot. MPK public relations officer Norfiza Mahfiz said Gurdip Kaur should see them personally and speak to the legal adviser or the council president for a discount on the fines. MPK legal advisee Fadzilah Abdul Aziz said they will look into the case and will consider cancelling the summons if the owner of the car is genuinely disabled.