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Disabled-friendly city: Tackle by-laws first

Minister for Women, Family and Community Development Sharizat Abdul Jalil has announced her proposal to make Kuala Lumpur as a ‘pioneer disabled-friendly city in Malaysia’.

I personally welcome her idea and I hope the proposal will materialise; finally the authority in charge of championing the disabled community’s rights has decided on a very pivotal issue.

The disabled advocates in this country have tried for years to put forward the idea of having a ‘disabled friendly country’ and finally we see positive statement though this has yet to materialise.

Accordingly, it is a high time for the relevant authorities to ensure strict compliance of all legislation which provides for accessible infrastructures and built environment.

We already have the basic laws in place; the issue that we are facing is on the implementation and the sanction for not adhering to the relevant legislation.

The ministry should look into the aspect of ensuring strict compliance of laws such as the Disabled Peoples Act 2007, the Uniform Building By-Laws (UBBL) which have sufficient provisions to support the call for an accessible city in Malaysia.

Let us all wait for the pioneer accessible city in Malaysia!

The writer is president, Damai Disabled persons Association.

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