The Malaysian Insider :: Features
The Malaysian Insider :: Features |
| Homeless in Kuala Lumpur: Pekeliling Flats Posted: 22 Jan 2014 02:48 AM PST A visit today reveals an empty, desolate place. The air lingers with a sense of anger. Old furniture and fragments of personal belongings are the only hints of a past residence, left behind like the molting of a snake. Old books, magazines, idols, clothes, tapes, photographs are just some of the items still lying on the floors of these units. He gives me a guided tour around the block, examining each room and its abandoned contents. He slaps his hand on the walls as he assures me that the building is still very strong. He asks me for the time. It was half past 4 in the evening. I asked him what time does he normally leave for home. He throws a hollow stare and quickens his pace with excitement as he gestures me to follow him. He sleeps on a piece of cardboard on a cupboard turned over on its side. He takes a nap each afternoon from 5pm to 7pm, after which he heads to the nearby Buddhist temple for a meal. At night, he burns pieces of wood from the old furniture to keep the mosquitoes away. Each day he scours the area for usable items. He has two pairs of clothes and the rest of his belongings are in a yellow plastic bag. He offers me a cigarette. I humbly decline. There was a black umbrella that looked just fine to me although he thinks it's a bit too small for his liking. He demonstrates to me how he plans to change the head of the broom with a new one he found on the floor above. Seeing how it wouldn't fit, he casually tossed it through an opening in the wall. He talks about his future plans for the place. A new door. A cover to keep the rain out. He looks at my watch to catch the time. He takes a newspaper out from a plastic bag of his belongings and places it on a rattan settee in the adjacent room. He lights a small piece of mosquito repellant at his bed side. It is time for his nap and the king ushers me out of his chambers. He gives me his blessings to explore the rest of the area. Who am I to resist? Blocks of solid concrete loom over me as I left him behind. The roads are covered with shattered glass. In a matter of seconds I am covered with mosquitos, yielding at least eight blood suckers with each slap. As I continued walking among the ruins of abandoned concrete, I thought hard about what it means to be called "homeless". The taboo word immediately springs up images of filth, shame and degradation. So much so that society refuses to accept them as worthy human beings. Vermins. Creatures of the dark undeserving of even a second thought. Out of sight out of mind. They deserve it. What are the benchmarks or standards that we use to define a civilised human being? A job, a house and a car? We have become so obsessed with the accumulation and display of material wealth that we subconsciously accord respect to people in amounts correlated to their wealth. The wealthier a person is, the more we respect, fear and envy them. We kiss their hands and hope they remember your name. Conditioned to perpetually feel insecure about our physical traits and social status, we desire for more and more each and every day. Work harder for that BMW. Work even harder to rent an apartment with a view of KLCC. Earn more money so you can spend it on overpriced coffee; because it's important for people to know that you can afford to spend on luxury, that you're living the life. I will be absolutely honest in saying that I felt proud of Ah Heng. I congratulate him for what he has done for himself instead of wallowing in self pity and imposing a self- exile from society. There wasn't the slightest hint of sorrow or pity in his stride. In today's social context, we are instinctively overwhelmed with feelings of pity and the need for empathy when we come across stories of people such as Ah Heng. But is it really justified? This urgency to impose standards on the lives of others? Take a moment and think about what money, and having a home means to you. The above was written in 2009, a year after I purchased my first proper camera (replacing my compact camera which produced purple images and my camera phone with a resolution of 128 x 64 pixels). I was eager to photograph, document and write stories around KL, often finding myself in either abandoned or illegal spaces. Since then, I visited the flats a number of times, hoping to find Ah Heng and this time, maybe offer him a cigarette instead. In 2012, I found that the entire block had been demolished, with Ah Heng nowhere to be found. The mosquitos were still around though. I met a foreigner scavenging for scrap metal and we exchanged greetings. According to him, Ah Heng had moved to another building. I asked again: "Are you sure he's still alive?" The foreigner replied: "He is, but he doesn't live here anymore." In some ways, the short conversation felt as if I was talking about KL in a much larger context. The people are still alive and yet they don't live in the city anymore. They couldn't afford it even if they wanted to. The Pekeliling Flats (pic, below) is scheduled to be demolished today. – Present Tense Media, January 22, 2014. |
| Paying heed to the need for contraception Posted: 21 Jan 2014 08:07 PM PST Birth control has long existed, surprisingly dating back to the days of the cavemen. However, the safer and more effective birth control methods only appeared in the 1960s but its usage and the public awareness on its importance is still low. Dr Kamaljit Kaur Manocha, an Obstetrics and Gynecology consultant at the Bangsar Women Specialist Centre, estimated around 52% of local women were of the age of fertility but did not use any form of contraceptive. Statistics show that the percentage was higher among those in the low-income group and those living in the rural areas. She felt that the low rate of contraceptive use was linked to certain cultural beliefs that viewed birth control as morally unacceptable. There is also the social stigma attached to women who use contraceptives, as they are viewed as being promiscuous or lacking in moral values. Poor awareness "Poor awareness has also resulted in women rejecting contraceptives over popular myths such as birth control pills will cause weight gain, infertility, acne and cancer," she explained. She said society has to work together to dispel those myths. "We actually need to look at the overall benefit of contraception on a woman's health," said Dr Kamaljit. She felt that there has to be more public awareness campaign promoting the use of contraceptives. Other functions of birth planning and control include distancing the gap between pregnancies, which indirectly helps improve the health of mothers and their children. She said longer intervals between pregnancies also help reduce the risk of anaemia, or low count of red blood cells in mothers. The condition typically occurs during pregnancy. Besides that, she opined, birth control also helped with the country's economic growth as more women were able to serve in the country's workforce. "Furthermore, women with smaller-sized families will be able to reduce the cost of family healthcare," she added. Many methods There are generally three methods of contraception: natural family planning, reversible birth control and permanent methods of pregnancy prevention. Preventing pregnancies naturally include regulating the timing of intercourse and coitus interruptus. However, both methods are not very reliable. "Abstinence from sexual activity is better and important especially for unmarried couples. However, it is often regarded more of a moral decision or lifestyle choice," she said. The reversible contraceptive methods are more effective and include barrier methods such as the usage of condoms, diaphragms and other contraceptive devices. Some methods alter hormones via pills, patches and vaginal rings, among others. The most popular contraception method appears to be birth control pills and condoms, due to its ease of use, accessibility and low cost. "Besides that, the usage of condoms is also a good way of preventing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases," said Dr Kamaljit. Reversible contraceptive methods that are effective for the long term such as implants and vaginal ring are usually recommended to couples who wish to increase the gap between pregnancies. Those who opt for methods such as vasectomy and tubal ligation must be doubly certain of their decision, as the procedures are not reversible. Joint responsibility Dr Kamaljit stressed that family planning was the joint responsibility of a couple and thus required the mutual agreement of each on the form of contraception to be used. However, she did not deny that many men tend to wash their hands off the decision, refusing to learn or understand its effects on their partners. "This is the mentality of Malaysian men that need to be changed. A change of mindset can help with the effort to improve the health of mother and child and subsequently result in happier families," she said. She recommended men to accompany their partners to see the doctor and discuss contraception options. Couples also have to discuss and reach mutual agreement on the number of children they wish to have. Furthermore, she added, couples must look at the decision to have children in a more holistic manner and ensure they are ready physically, mentally and financially. – Bernama, January 22, 2014. |
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