Group: Punish those who abuse parking lots for disabled

The Star
by LEE YEN MUN

PUTRAJAYA: A disabled group wants action to be taken against drivers who indiscriminately park their vehicles at bays designated for them.

The National Council for Persons with Disabilities wants local councils around the country to not only fine those irresponsible drivers but recommend them to be penalised under the Kejara demerit point system.

This was among the proposals raised during a meeting between the council and the Women, Family, and Community Development Minister Datuk Rohani Abdul Karim, here, yesterday.

“They have called for enforcement in this matter. The group has also requested for parking operators to put up signs clearly indicating that the parking bays have been reserved for an OKU (orang kurang upaya or disabled person) instead of painting the sign on the floor,” she said, adding that this could be easily overlooked.

The issue of abuse of OKU-designated parking space were among the 27 areas of concern raised in a two-day nationwide roadshow held in July this year.

Other issues highlighted were calls for more OKU-friendly transportation facilities, affordable insurance as well as training and job opportunities.

The group also wanted a one-stop centre for the OKU community to streamline policies and matters pertaining to this group.

The council, which was set up under the Persons With Disabilities Act, also had representatives from nine ministries, including the secretary-generals of Finance, Transport, Health, Human Resources and Educa­tion.

Rohani said there were ongoing efforts to provide convenience to the OKU group, including the RM9.3mil that was spent on providing OKU-friendly facilities in 146 schools last year.