We, members of the Orang Kurang Upaya (OKU) community that includes OKU advocates, disability rights activists, care partners, and allies, are profoundly disappointed by your recent remarks and stance in a profile interview with Malaysiakini published on April 22, 2024, that was raised on May 1, for the attention of the OKU community.
Our voices reflect the diversity of our lived OKU experiences and insights. Amongst us are individuals with expertise in research, advocacy, training, and policy development in sectors ranging from law, human rights, media, community building, self-empowerment, education, health care, and public health, to gender equality, ICT, the arts, and beyond.
This is an open letter on our collective thoughts in response to issues and to views that you expressed from your formal position as a Senator in the Dewan Negara, mandated to represent the voices of the OKU community; this is not about you as an individual.
Your persistent advocacy for the term “Specially Abled“ is poor use of the Upper House position that you occupy.
“As a senator, what has he done so far for the community besides talking about terminology since day one? It does not change the fact that my son cannot attend school or get a job later. What are the real rights of OKU in Malaysia? I plead that the Senator do more than just continuously voicing what term to label my child, when we have already widely and legally adopted Orang Kurang Upaya. This is dividing us, instead of uniting us to move forward together.”
A disability rights advocate and parent to an OKU child.
The terms disabled, persons with disabilities (PwD), or OKU are widely used following consultations between the community and the government.
On June 26, 2023, three months after your appointment as a Senator, five OKU community members met with you and handed you a letter on the use of respectful and appropriate disability language.
The letter had over 100 signatories with representation from more than 70 organisations. We had hoped that you would accept our substantive support for the meaningful fulfilment of your mandate.
We remind you that the United Nations Disability-Inclusive Language Guidelines itself states that:
“The term ‘special’ used in relation to persons with disabilities is commonly rejected, as it is considered offensive and condescending because it euphemistically stigmatizes that which is different.”
The disability community and care partners internationally and in Malaysia have long moved away from the use of negative terms. OKU, PwD, or disabled persons (by those who wish to reclaim their disability identity) are the preferred and community-accepted terms.
We are truly perplexed by the Senator’s persistent countering of UN-endorsed terminology that is accepted internationally and contained in Malaysia’s Persons with Disabilities Act 2008.
Surely, energy and resources ought to be expended on more critical OKU rights issues, instead of dividing the community and diverting attention from core issues.
This promotion of the euphemism (“specially abled”) devalues our community’s struggles and disregards the real challenges we OKU face.
It shifts the focus away from responsibility for societal change that is urgently needed for equitable OKU inclusion in all aspects of life.
We urge you to move beyond sugar-coated labels for our community. Please stop undoing the enormous work by the OKU community and efforts by your predecessor Senators.
The OKU community needs a representative leader who is open to understanding the community in the context of international and domestic OKU rights frameworks, as a basis for facilitating the resolution of its issues and uniting us in the process.
How are OKU rights advanced by using the media to express to the public your perception of the OKU community’s “lackings” when it is your mandate to bridge community-government collaboration?
You also highlighted that “too many groups and societies claiming to represent the community” as a basis for the government to “ignore us, claiming we are not united and it’s too difficult to come to an agreement on what is needed”.
What you perceive as threats are responses to many unmet needs within our community with all its diversities and historical neglect by those in power. Rather than disparaging the OKU community for this, we urge you to engage with us meaningfully, to understand the breadth and depth of our experiences.
“The OKU community would like you to be on the correct path. And that path is to work together with us meaningfully. If you do not heed the voices of the grassroots and civil society organization leaders of the OKU community, you are effectively abusing your position to undo all the hard work and sacrifices of OKU activists, who mostly get neither credit nor compensation for the enormous labour that we give for advancing OKU rights.”
A deaf activist.
Your tenure has passed the halfway mark. Following your April 3, 2023 Upper House debut in Parliament, marked by all joining you in your “one minute standing on one leg” invitation, your term of office thus far has been marked by a disheartening lack of meaningful action.
We also urge you to seize the opportunity of your tenure: to call for affirmative and substantive actions for proactive and concrete reforms. Drop symbolic gestures for photo-ops.
OKU rights advocacy is not about superficial stunts or the deceptive comfort of euphemisms. For the common good and advancement of our community, such advocacy has to focus on the harsh realities of discrimination and systemic denial of our rights.
It is time that the rakyat, including the OKU community, call for an audit of all government-appointed representatives of the OKU community and public office holders, to measure the impact of their terms of office on strengthening gender-equal, ageing-sensitive disability inclusion in laws and policies and meeting priority OKU community needs.
In your case, YB Senator Isaiah Jacob, please revert to the OKU community on the 5 points below, as a basis for initiating multi-ministerial collaboration for disability inclusion:What has been accomplished in the first year of your tenure?
- Which disability organisations and activists have you actively and meaningfully engaged with?
- Which working groups and conferences have you attended to understand our needs (beyond officiating our community events for photo ops)?
- Where do we find accessible versions of your plans for the OKU community?
- How are you helping on Malaysia’s first report (due in 2012) on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities that Malaysia ratified?
Malaysia’s OKU community constitutes 16 per cent of the population. And it is growing, especially with the rapid ageing of Malaysian society, the rise of chronic diseases, and increasing mental health issues.
Among Malaysians aged 60 and beyond, 50.8 per cent have functional difficulties: vision, hearing, memory, and mobility issues.
The OKU community cannot afford to be sidelined by ineffective leadership and poor representation. We do not want our community to be represented by an OKU who only talks of change.
To effectively represent the community, it is essential to gain a nuanced understanding of disability-gender-ageing linkages.
Our community deserves an OKU Senator who invests in understanding the historical evolution of disability rights internationally and domestically. The Senator has to be one of us who labours shoulder-to-shoulder with us to make the right real in Malaysia.
We applaud your record of activism against injustice and for environmental protection, with participation in protests, including by interstate walking and hunger strikes. We are proud when a member of the OKU community engages thus in mainstream activism for Malaysia.
Like you, we too are disabled. Many of us have experienced journeys similar to yours. We understand your pain.
But times have changed. Our understanding of disability and the advancement of human rights has moved forward.
We must recognise that ableism is deeply embedded in our society and community. We need to examine this within ourselves — is it the label of OKU that pains us? Or is it the stigma attached to the label that is the painful thorn?
The OKU community, and those who claim leadership over it, must be courageous. We must be willing to listen beyond our personal pain, in order for us to claim our rightful place in society, not living in the shadows of non-disabled persons, and always trying to be “normal”.
We call for senatorial leadership that is empathetic, inclusive, and decisive — one that not only values, but also amplifies, the diverse voices of the OKU community, recognising our challenges and enabling us to build on our strengths.
We need in the Senator for the OKU community a leader who walks non-ableist, non-sexist, and non-ageist talk on OKU rights. A leader who strives consistently to earn the respect of the OKU community.
Can you provide the leadership that we deserve?
Thank you.
OKU, Representatives Of OKU Organisations, Parent Advocates, Care Partners, Family Members, And Professionals In Disability Services
- Beatrice Leong, Autistic; Autistic Rights Advocate; Founder of AIDA (Autism Inclusiveness Direct Action Group); Documentary Filmmaker.
- Dr Amar-Singh HSS, person with dyslexia; child-disability activist; Advisor National Early Childhood Intervention Council; Advisor, National Family Support Group for Children & People with Special Needs; Member, The OKU Rights Matter Project.
- San Yuenwah, older person with invisible disabilities; dementia care partner; Member, The OKU Rights Matter Project; Member, Harapan OKU Law Reform Group.
- Ng Lai-Thin, dementia care partner and care partner to an adult sibling with intellectual disability; Project Lead, National Early Childhood Intervention Council; Member, The OKU Rights Matter Project.
- Anit Kaur Randhawa, parent advocate; Co-Chairperson, Bar Council Ad Hoc Committee on Persons with Disabilities for the 2024/2025 tenure; Member, The OKU Rights Matter Project; Member, Harapan OKU Law Reform Group; Kita Family Podcaster.
- Meera Samanther, parent advocate; disability rights and gender equality activist; Co-Chairperson, Bar Council Ad Hoc Committee on Persons with Disabilities for the 2024/2025 tenure; former President, Association of Women Lawyers (AWL) and Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO); Executive Committee Member, AWL; Member, Harapan OKU Law Reform Group.
- Naziaty Mohd Yaacob, older person with multiple disabilities; dementia care partner; Member (2008-2012), National Council for Persons with Disabilities / Majlis Kebangsaan bagi Orang Kurang Upaya (MKBOKU); Associate Professor, Department of Architecture, Universiti Malaya (retired).
- Anthony Chong, deaf activist; Co-Founder and Secretary, Deaf Advocacy and Wellbeing National Organisation (DAWN).
- Yap Sook Yee, parent to a child with rare disease, child-disability advocate.
- Hasbeemasputra Abu Bakar, Disabled Disability Advocate; Rangkaian Solidariti Demokratik Pesakit Mental (SIUMAN).
- Yana Karim, Boleh Space Co-Founder.
- Ahmad Daniel Sharani, wheelchair user; Deputy President, Persatuan OKU Sentral.
- Aida Othman, Person with Dyslexia; EXCO of AIDA (Autism Inclusiveness Direct Action Group).
- Albert Wong, Chairman, Deaf advocate; Sarawak Society for the Deaf (SSD).
- Alex Teoh, deaf person, Kedah.
- Alvin Teoh, Parent of OKU Penglihatan; Parent Advocate and Advisor for National Family Support Group for Children and People with Special Needs.
- Amanda Lim, deaf and hard-of-hearing advocate; care partner for adults with disabilities.
- Amin Zuhaili Mansor, deaf advocate; President, Negeri Sembilan Association of the Deaf (NESDA).
- Anita Abu Bakar, mental health and wellness advocate with lived experience of mental health issues; President and Founder, Mental Illness and Support Association Malaysia (MIASA Malaysia).
- Ayahanda Ismail, Pengerusi, Kelab Kecacatan Fizikal Selangor (KKFS).
- Ayappan Ramalingam, Deaf person, Selangor.
- Azhari Ibrahim, Pengerusi, Persatuan Orang Kurang Upaya Putrajaya (PROCJAYA).
- Azlina Ahmad Annuar, dementia care partner; researcher.
- Ch’ng B’ao Zhong, autistic adult; Licensed and Registered Counsellor (KB08026, PA07601).
- Chai Jing Yun, autistic adult; Member of AIDA (Autism Inclusiveness Direct Action Group).
- Chan Kah Khong, Deputy President, Federation School for the Deaf Ex-Pupil Association Pulau Pinang (FSDeaf).
- Chan Sau Yin, native blind spouse, and mother (WP KL-based) of 3 sighted adults (professionals and a college student).
- Chan Shiu Sum, psychologist working with autistic and ADHD children.
- Dr Cheah Boon Eu, Autistic, ADHD; Medical Officer, EXCO of AIDA (Autism Inclusiveness Direct Action Group).
- Cheah Kean Wee, Vice-President II, Penang Deaf Association (PDA).
- Chen Soon Wah, newly-blind; under training (orientation and mobility, daily living skills); Customer Service Manager until blindness.
- Chng Cheng Hui, Executive Secretary, Persatuan Orang Bermasalah Pelajaran (PERKOBP).
- Choo Kar Choon, deaf person, Penang.
- Christine Lee Soon Kup, wheelchair user; accessible public transport advocate; Co-Founder, Barrier-free Environment and Accessible Transport (BEAT).
- Chua Hock Meng, deaf father of two deaf children, Kuala Lumpur.
- Chuan Sie Ying, deaf person, Johor Bahru.
- Daniel Cheong, OKU with physical disabilities; senior citizen; professional in accountancy.
- Ras Adiba Radzi, wheelchair user; President, Persatuan OKU Sentral.
- David Ngu, President, Sibu Autistic Association and parent of a child with autism.
- Desiree Kaur, Parent Advocate and Founder, Project Haans; Kita Family Podcaster.
- Dexter Nuing Lyrym, deaf member, SSD, Sarawak.
- Elizabeth Ang, polio survivor; Member, Persatuan Orang-orang Cacat Anggota Malaysia (POCAM).
- Ernest Teoh, person with visual impairment; university graduate (English).
- Esther Lim, wheelchair user; lawyer (retired) and former Member, Bar Council Malaysia; Member, Pertubuhan Orang Cacat Cina Malaysia; Member, Malaysia Independent Living Association for Disabled (MILAD); trainer and peer counsellor of independent living for disabled persons.
- Fakhruddin Zakaria, President, Persatuan Pembangunan Orang Kurang Upaya Anggota Terengganu (POKUAT).
- Feilina Feisol, parent advocate; Member (2018-2020), National Council for Persons with Disabilities / Majlis Kebangsaan bagi Orang Kurang Upaya (MKBOKU); past Chairman and present Board Member, National Autism Society of Malaysia (NASOM); Board Member, Ronald McDonald House of Charity (RMHC); Member, Harapan OKU.
- Fiona Kwok, care partner of a parent with dementia, Selangor.
- Fiona Teh, mother of autistic son; care partner to senior citizen OKU family member.
- 49. Foo Ruishan, Deaf person, Selangor.
- Gan Jun Qi, parent to 5 year-old child with autism diagnosis; entrepreneur.
- Gary Lee, blind teacher (retired).
- Gejaletchumi Murugaya, deaf poet, Selangor; Member, Malaysian Sign Language and Deaf Studies Association (MyBIM).
- Goh Bee Hiang, parent of OKU Penglihatan; Member, National Family Support Group for Children & People with Special Needs.
- Grace Ng, OKU with physical disabilities; senior citizen; engineering professional.
- Hasnah Toran, mother of two adults with autism; academic.
- Heng Chin Hai, deaf citizen, Johor Bahru.
- Ho Lee Ching, Tourette Syndrome+; Theatre maker and dance/movement therapist.
- Ho Seng Fatt, deaf person, Perak.
- Hoo Hwee Shan, deaf person, Penang.
- Jessica Chong, deaf data entry clerk.
- Jessica Mak, deaf advocate; President, Malaysian Sign Language and Deaf Studies Association (MyBIM).
- Joanna Ee, deaf person, Selangor.
- Jerry Tong, autistic adult, graphic designer, and PR officer, Member of AIDA (Autism Inclusiveness Direct Action Group).
- Kaveinthran, native blind, disabled independent human rights activist.
- Kevin Mak, deaf member, MyBIM, Selangor.
- Khor Ai-Na, Chief Executive Officer, Asia Community Service, Penang.
- Kimberly Ngo, deaf BIM instructor, RC Deaf Mission.
- Kung Tze Zern, President, Persatuan Orang Sukan Pekak Pulau Pinang.
- Lau Ek Bin, deaf woman, Sarawak.
- Lauren Chin, autistic and ADHD adult, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
- Law King Kiew, wheelchair user; Paralympic Athlete.
- Lee Khiam Jin, father to an autistic adult; Assistant Secretary to Minds Association of Penang (MAP); academician, Malaysia University of Science and Technology.
- Lee Nyook Loong, deaf person, Selangor.
- Lee Tur Chung, deaf PhD candidate, Selangor.
- Leela Koran, dementia care partner; researcher.
- Leim Siew Kok, OKU Pendengaran, Perak.
- Leong Tze Han, Deaf person, Penang.
- Li Sing Puang, deaf person, Sarawak.
- Lim Kah Cheng, OKU grandmother of 4; retired lawyer; Honorary Secretary of BOLD, Penang; a friend of rivers.
- Lim Sow Seng, polio survivor.
- Loh Kon Ken, blind advocate for the rights of Blind persons; retired from employment in university administration.
- Lu Chieng Hoong, concerned citizen and parent of children with disabilities, Bintulu, Sarawak.
- Lucy Tan, wheelchair user; senior citizen (retiree).
- Luqman Hakim Mohd Khialdin, Autistic Adult; Independent Comic Artist.
- Mabel Gong, dementia care partner; civil society organisation accounts and administration officer.
- 86. Maizan Nordin, wheelchair user; university graduate; Member (2021-2024) of Majlis Belia Orang Kurang Upaya (MBOKU).
- Margaret Chang, dementia care partner; retired media management executive.
- Marina Tan, adult with ADHD; Arts practitioner and writer.
- Marzuki Ong, deaf advocate; Advisor, Sabah Deaf Muslim Association (DMSabah).
- Matthew Oswaldo Velazque, Deaf person, Selangor.
- Melinda Cheah, wheelchair user, private sector retiree.
- Melvin Tan, deaf person, Selangor.
- Mike Chung, member, Pertubuhan Orang Cacat Cina Malaysia (POCCM).
- Mohd Fauzi Abdullah, Chairman, Persatuan Insan Istimewa Daerah Jempol (PIIDJ).
- Mohd Ridzwan Warisi, person with visual disability (low vision); advocate and solicitor of the High Court of Malaya and sole proprietor of Ridzwan Warisi and Co.
- Mohd Rizal Mat Noor, Chairman, Persatuan Advokasi Kecederaan Saraf Tunjang Malaysia (MASAA).
- Moses Choo, blind expert on ICT use by blind persons; blind advocate; Member (2016-2021), National Council for Persons with Disabilities / Majlis Kebangsaan bagi Orang Kurang Upaya (MKBOKU).
- Muhammad Hafiz Siraj, deaf person with cerebral palsy, Selangor.
- Nazri Mohd Zin, founder, Rumah Harapan Nuraafiyah Sungai Buloh.
- Ng Shu Tzu, deaf mother, Selangor.
- Dr Ng Sui Yin, consultant paediatric neurologist and Board Chair of Malaysian Autism Resource Foundation.
- Nik Nadia Nik Mohd Yusoff, parent of two autistic teenagers; Podcaster for Kita Family podcast.
- Nor Azman Sharif Hassan, OKU Pendengaran dan Bisu, Penang/Selangor.
- Nori Abdullah Badawi, parent advocate; We Rock the Spectrum Kid’s Gym; Kita Family Podcast.
- Ong Hwei Ling, deaf advocate; President, National Organisation of Malaysian Sign Language Instructors (NowBIM), Selangor.
- Ong Yen Fang, deaf member, Penang Deaf Association (PDA).
- Ooi Ai Peng, OKU (post stroke physical disability); unemployed single mother.
- Ooi Aik Chan, social worker; caregiver and family member of PwD.
- Pang Qi, deaf person, Kuala Lumpur.
- Pauline Wong, advocate for people with special needs; Director of Siloam House, Pahang; Senior Director of Malaysian CARE; Advisor of Bloomers Employability Skills Training; Special Education Consultant.
- Peter Pui, person with hearing disability; website developer.
- Peter Tian, deaf person, Sabah.
- Pheh Kai Shuen, person with dyslexia; clinical psychologist, Licensed and Registered Counsellor (KB02160; PA01609); Head of Programme and lecturer at the Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman.
- Prof Dr Nazirah Hasnan, Director, Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC).
- Raul Lee Bhaskaran, ADHD and Autistic; Solicitor, Music Producer; EXCO of AIDA (Autism Inclusiveness Direct Action Group).
- Rezafarish Yusop Khas, Pengasas, Pusat Urut Terapi OKU Shah Alam.
- Rita Ngadol Scourse, dementia care partner; professional freelance translator.
- Rosali Mohd Nasid, Pengerusi, Persatuan Kebajikan Insan Istimewa Jati Diri (PERJATI).
- Ruziah Ghazali, little person; Member of Majlis Kebangsaan bagi Orang Kurang Upaya (MKBOKU) (2017-2021).
- Ruzita Mohd. Amin, wheelchair user; Member of National Council for Persons with Disabilities / Majlis Kebangsaan bagi Orang Kurang Upaya (MKBOKU) (2012-2016).
- Sabrina Yeoh, double crutch user; Business Development Executive.
- Saiful Abdul Hamid, dementia care partner; dementia and care advocate for the local community and care partners in need of support.
- Sam Wong, person with physical disability; supporter of Barrier-free Environment and Accessible Transport (BEAT); advocate for disability rights.
- Sangeet Kaur Deo, advocate and solicitor; Member, Harapan OKU Law Reform Group.
- Sariah Ibrahim, deaf advocate; Advisor, NESDA, Selangor.
- Sha Roose, disabled person living with spinal muscular atrophy Type 3; Universal Accessibility Advocate.
- Sharifah Tahir, dementia and care partner advocate; Founder, UMI.
- Sia Siew Chin, wheelchair user; President, Malaysian Independent Association for the Disabled, (MILAD); President, the Society of the Chinese Disabled Persons.
- Siti Sarah Jasni, Autistic and ADHD Adult; PwD Employment Trainee.
- Stephen Lee, deaf Senior citizen, Kuala Lumpur Society for the Deaf.
- Suhaimi Sapar, physically disabled person; Masters in Land Administration & Development (Universiti Teknologi Malaysia); Maybank employee
- Suhairi Abdullah, President, Persatuan Orang Kurang Upaya Anggota Melayu Malaysia (POKUAM).
- Surendra Ananth, Human Rights Lawyer; Member of Bar Council Ad Hoc Committee on Persons with Disabilities.
- Susielawatie Hassim, Deaf Malaysian Sign Language (BIM) user; Secretary, Deaf Women Club.
- Tan Kuan Aw, artist with multiple disabilities; veteran disability rights activist.
- Tang Kah Hung, blind person; President, Chinese Cultural Association of the Blind in Malaysia.
- Tay Chia Yi, speech-language therapist, Malaysian Association of Speech-language & Hearing (MASH).
- Tengku Arman Harris, President, Terengganu Association of the Deaf (POPT).
- Teoh Chia Ling, deaf person, Penang.
- Teong Chia Ying, Occupational Therapist.
- Teresa Chong, deaf person, Selangor.
- Thangaveloo Varathan, blind peer supporter; Secretary, Pertubuhan Kebajikan Orang Buta Pulau Pinang.
- Tien An Hui, deaf person, Penang.
- Timothy Yee, deaf person, Selangor.
- Wan Aklima, deaf person, Perak.
- Wong Hui Min, President, National Early Childhood Intervention Council, Malaysia.
- Wong Jia Yaw, deaf university student (WP KL-based).
- Wong Mei Yong, deaf mother of a deaf child, Selangor.
- Wong Poh Im, blind housewife (over 40 years).
- Wong Tze Peng, Associate Professor of Special and Inclusive Education, Speech-Language Therapist, School of Education, University of Nottingham Malaysia.
- Wong Wei Yin, newly blind; trained and working as a masseuse.
- Yew Ling Lee, wheelchair user with Spinal Muscular Atrophy; motivator; award recipient (Ten Outstanding Young Malaysians); personal assistant to Director of Dual Blessing Bhd (CSO, occupational training for PwDs).
- Yip Chee Kean, deaf person, Selangor.
- Yogeswari Veerakathy, deaf English teacher for deaf students, Kuala Lumpur.
- Yong Hooi San, BIM instructor, Deaf person, Penang.
- Yong Siew Ling, hard-of-hearing person, Selangor.
- Yow Chun Hong, person with spastic cerebral palsy; Accounts Executive, Dual Blessing Bhd (civil society organization, occupational training for PwDs).
- Yusof Hamid, Chairman, Persatuan OKU Fizikal Negeri Sembilan (OKUF9).
- Dr. Zahilah Filzah Zulkifli, consultant paediatrician and co-founder of doktorbudak; SPELL Lead Trainer.
- Zamri Mansor, Chariman, Persatuan Pengguna Kerusi Roda Malaysia (PPKRM).
- AIDA (Autism Inclusiveness Direct Action Group).
- Akademi Remaja Islam Autisma (ARISMA).
- Boleh Space, Disabled-led Disability Rights Advocacy Movement.
- Deaf Advocate and Wellbeing National Organisation (DAWN).
- Malaysian Sign Language and Deaf Studies Association (MyBIM).
- National Organisation of Malaysian Sign Language Instructors (NowBIM).
- OKU Sentral.
- Persatuan Raudhah Autisme Islam Selangor.
- Pertubuhan Sokongan Remaja Istimewa Perlis (PESTEC).
- Rangkaian Solidariti Demokratik Pesakit Mental (SIUMAN).
- Sarawak Society for the Deaf (SSD).
- The OKU Rights Matter Project.
- UMI, Dementia Care and Resource Center.
- All Women’s Action Society (AWAM).
- Association of Women Lawyers (AWL).
- EMPOWER.
- Family Frontiers.
- Justice for Sisters.
- KRYSS Network.
- Our Journey
- Perak Women for Women Society (PWW).
- Sabah Women’s Action-Resource Group (SAWO).
- Sarawak Women for Women Society (SWWS).
- Sisters in Islam.
- Tenaganita.
- Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO).
- Women’s Centre for Change (WCC), Penang.
- Armani Shahrin, Founder, NakSeni; <IncluCity.my>.
- Asha Devi, child protection advocate.
- Dr Betty Kong, general medical practitioner, Sibu, Sarawak.
- Calysta Tay, BIM interpreter, JupeBIM.
- Dr Chin Saw Sian, paediatrician, Kuching, Sarawak.
- 193. Gan Hao Zhan, hearing ally of Deaf community, Selangor.
- Gigi Teoh, hearing ally, Interpreters and Translators Association for Selangor and Kuala Lumpur Deaf Community (JupeBIM).
- Susan Siew, gender equality, and maternal and child health advocate; Vice-President, Women’s Centre for Change, Penang.
- Dr Syed Abdul Khaliq, Consultant Paediatrician and Neonatologist, Hospital Pakar An-Nur.
- Wan Puspa Melati, Taylor’s University.
This letter will be sent as our OKU community feedback on the appointment of the OKU Senator to the Right Honourable Prime Minister and Honourable Minister, Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development.
The OKU Rights Matter project is a community effort to share, on one site, resources on disability rights, to help strengthen conditions for advancing disability rights, and to achieve acceptance and inclusion of persons with disabilities on an equal basis with others in society.
- This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of CodeBlue.
