Keep disabled man as PJ councillor, S'gor urged
Koh Jun LinPublished: Mar 13, 2012 3:21 AM | Updated: Mar 13, 2012 3:24 AM
Five NGOs involved in the welfare of disabled people have handed over a memorandum to the Selangor government in support of embattled Petaling Jaya city councillor Anthony Siva Balan Thanasayan.
Five NGOs involved in the welfare of disabled people have handed over a memorandum to the Selangor government in support of embattled Petaling Jaya city councillor Anthony Siva Balan Thanasayan.
The delegation of about 20 arrived at the state government headquarters in Shah Alam about 11am yesterday to submit the memorandum to Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim and the exco member in charge of local government Ronnie Liu.
Persatuan Warga Istimewa dan Rehabilitasi Anggota K9 (Perwira K9) founding chairperson Chong Tuck Meng told Malaysiakini the memo, among others, calls for Anthony (right) to be allowed to continue his work for disabled people.
“He is doing a very good and professional job in areas such as accessibility issues at car parks and toilets for wheelchair-bound persons. He dares to challenge other councillors to make things right,” Chong said.
Other groups present were the Dyslexia Association of Malaysia, Malaysian Animal-assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (Petpositive), Community Services for the Deaf and Independent Living and Training Centre.
Petition against Anthony
The memo also calls on the state to form a ‘technical committee for the disabled’ and to ensure that disabled persons are represented in local councils, including those other than the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ).
“They are the ones who know what to expect, what to change and what to modify to suit our needs,” said Chong.
English daily New Straits Times reported last Thursday that two NGOs, one for disabled persons and the other for animal welfare, were opposing Anthony’s reappointment as MBPJ councillor.
It quoted Warga OKU PJ vice-president Azlan Elias as saying that Anthony had failed in his duty because few places in Petaling Jaya have facilities for the disabled, while a Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better spokesperson complained that he interfered with their animal welfare efforts.
The second group is also collecting signatures against Anthony, garnering 1,254 signatures as of 7.15pm yesterday.
The delegation of about 20 arrived at the state government headquarters in Shah Alam about 11am yesterday to submit the memorandum to Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim and the exco member in charge of local government Ronnie Liu.
Persatuan Warga Istimewa dan Rehabilitasi Anggota K9 (Perwira K9) founding chairperson Chong Tuck Meng told Malaysiakini the memo, among others, calls for Anthony (right) to be allowed to continue his work for disabled people.“He is doing a very good and professional job in areas such as accessibility issues at car parks and toilets for wheelchair-bound persons. He dares to challenge other councillors to make things right,” Chong said.
Other groups present were the Dyslexia Association of Malaysia, Malaysian Animal-assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (Petpositive), Community Services for the Deaf and Independent Living and Training Centre.
Petition against Anthony
The memo also calls on the state to form a ‘technical committee for the disabled’ and to ensure that disabled persons are represented in local councils, including those other than the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ).
“They are the ones who know what to expect, what to change and what to modify to suit our needs,” said Chong.
English daily New Straits Times reported last Thursday that two NGOs, one for disabled persons and the other for animal welfare, were opposing Anthony’s reappointment as MBPJ councillor.
It quoted Warga OKU PJ vice-president Azlan Elias as saying that Anthony had failed in his duty because few places in Petaling Jaya have facilities for the disabled, while a Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better spokesperson complained that he interfered with their animal welfare efforts.
The second group is also collecting signatures against Anthony, garnering 1,254 signatures as of 7.15pm yesterday.
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