Response to Written Question PT38

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📖 Reading time: 5 minutes
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YANG BERHORMAT PENGIRAN HAJI ISA BIN PENGIRAN HAJI ALIUDDIN

QUESTION:

Yang Berhormat Pengiran Haji Isa bin Pengiran Haji Aliuddin asked the MINISTER OF HEALTH to outline the steps or actions taken and the monitoring conducted to address the issue of parking spaces for special needs (wheelchairs) as some individuals are reportedly not mindful of this matter and park in those designated areas.

YANG BERHORMAT MINISTER OF HEALTH

ANSWER:

[The question has been answered by the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports]

1. Thank you to Yang Berhormat Pengiran Haji Isa bin Pengiran Haji Aliuddin for the query regarding the steps or actions taken and the monitoring conducted to address the issue of parking spaces for special needs (wheelchairs).

2. The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (KKBS) is highly concerned about the rights and interests of people with disabilities (PWD) in the country. Through the Special Committee on Disability Issues under the National Council for Social Issues, KKBS collaborates with government and non-governmental agencies from among the PWD associations to ensure that people with disabilities are given equal opportunities in various aspects of life while also supporting and empowering them to reach their maximum potential to create an inclusive and progressive society.

3. One of the initiatives undertaken is to create a more inclusive and disability-friendly environment by improving and expanding accessibility for PWDs to facilitate movement and enhance their quality of life. Among the efforts under this initiative is to ensure that special parking spaces for PWDs are provided in government and commercial buildings. These accessible parking spaces ensure that individuals with mobility challenges, such as wheelchair users, have easier access close to building entrances and elevators as well as larger parking spaces to accommodate mobility aids, in line with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (Article 9), which is Accessibility Towards an Accessible Community.

4. For the information of Yang Berhormat Yang Di-Pertua and Your Honourable Members, parking spaces specifically designed for PWDs are provided with particular features according to the Different Abilities Design Guidelines (DADG) issued by the Authority for Building Control and Construction Industry (ABCI), Ministry of Development in 2018.

5. KKBS is aware that at times, these special PWD parking spaces have been misused by the general public, that is, by people who are not wheelchair users. In other words, even though the parking space clearly has a PWD symbol, there are those who do not require it taking advantage or convenience of parking there because it is empty or close to the entrance. This reflects a lack of awareness and sensitivity among some members of our community towards the well-being of PWDs.

6. Towards this, the Department of Community Development (JAPEM) is actively collaborating with strategic partners to enhance advocacy on PWD parking rights for those in need. In 2024, the We.Kare Group, consisting of six officers from the Executive Development Programme for Middle Management Officers (EDPMMO), implemented an awareness project, which included the dissemination of parking rights for PWDs through brief videos, radio, 50 posters displayed in several public places such as government buildings and shopping malls, the Rampai Pagi Program, and providing two new PWD parking spaces at Masjid Suri Seri Begawan, Kampong Manggis Madang on July 18, 2024. The provision of these PWD parking spaces also included a briefing on the importance of having PWD parking spaces delivered by JAPEM through the Disability Division and the Ministry of Development through ABCi.

7. To further enhance the control of the use of PWD parking in the country, it is informed that the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, in collaboration with the Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications, is drafting a Disabled Persons Vehicle Sticker (PWVD), intended as an official identification for vehicles driven or boarded by PWDs, aligned with Objective 2 under Focus Area 3 of the Action Plan for Persons with Disabilities, which is "Ensuring supportive and accessible infrastructure for PWDs". Aside from facilitating their daily affairs to park in spaces specifically provided for PWDs, this official sticker will also ensure PWDs' accessibility rights are respected and prevent misuse of PWD parking by the public.

8. Alhamdulillah, we are also pleased to share that a Taskforce for Disabled Persons Vehicle Stickers (PWDVS) was established in October 2024, among the tasks of this Taskforce is to propose steps to raise awareness and understanding about the vehicle sticker program to all road users and the community layers in the country, including among PWDs.

9. It is hoped that the provision of PWD Vehicle Stickers will not only enhance accessibility for PWD convenience to park comfortably and safely without any obstacles or confusion, but it can also help reduce misuse of special parking spaces by unqualified individuals and raise public awareness about the special needs of PWD and the importance of providing more friendly and accessible spaces for them.

10. That is all that can be elaborated. Thank you.