Diskriminasi pemakaian kad ATM terhadap oku penglihatan

Sekarang ini, penggunaan kad ATM sudah menjadi satu perkara yang amat biasa. Dan ianya amat menjimatkan masa kita semua.

Tetapi, seolah-olah satu diskriminasi terhadap golongan orang-orang buta, kad ATM ini tidak dibenarkan pemakaiannya oleh bank-bank di seluruh Malaysia. Alasan mereka orang buta susah nak menjaga kad ATM mereka dan nanti apa-apa berlaku, susah.

Adakah ini alasan yang menasabah? Adakah masalah keselamatan kad ATM hanya berlaku kepada golongan orang buta? Adakah masalah keselamatan kad ATM ini tidak berlaku pada orang-orang celik? Di Amerika Syarikat dan negara-negara maju yang lain, orang-orang buta dibenarkan memakai kad ATM. Tetapi, aku sendiri tidak tahu, mengapakah negara kita yang serba moden dan canggih ini, langsung tidak membenarkan golongan orang buta memakai kad ATM.

Dan sekarang, marilah sama-sama kita membaca beberapa luahan rasa oleh rakan-rakan buta kita ini.

Daripada: "B.K. Tan" <bk.tan74@gmail.com>

Hi friends,

The only ATM card I am using is AmBank. For others, I never bother to apply for ATM card cause I use their Online Banking.

I managed to apply for Public Bank and MayBank online banking and still using it. On top of that, I find the ATM card fee

charges previously, RM8 to be not worth it. Not sure of the ATM charges now.

If you are serious in using ATM card for RHB Bank, find for those branches which was not D&C bank previously. They are more

ok. However, this is the way many years ago. I managed to apply for ATM card for my RHB account from Pandan Indah branch.

Not sure if the branch still exist. It's next to Maxisegar Tower.

The major changes which caused many banks to not allow blind to apply for ATM card is cause of the E-Wallet or we call it E-

Purse. With this, you can deduct your account using your ATM card at shopping complex which have the merchant. You just

need to key in pin number and need not sign. But till now, I don't see many bank or even a single bank practicing it. Not

sure though.

It will benefit you if you try the following:
** When you try to apply for ATM card, bring along whatever other ATM card you have. Expire also never mind. Just make sure

the Bank name is the most current bank name and not the old bank. e.g. AmBank and not Arab Malaysia Bank. Tunjuk-tunjuk only

lah! Don't pass to their hand.
** Always try to find for a lady customer care. While trying to apply, don't give them chance to see your handicapped.

Talk to them a lot and bush sheet them a bit. This is how I got my Public Bank Online banking. If possible, try calling

that branch first to talk to the customer service person.
** Always try to understand the way the application work. e.g. I tried to apply for MB2U and they said without ATM card,

you cannot apply. I told them straight off, I work in a bank and I know you could manually generate a temp pin number for me

to apply and they went dumb!
** Another you could try is to open a join account with or status. Open the account together, but when need to apply for

ATM card, only your partner go later and apply for it. Sure dapat punya!
** Last, there is one thing call Letter of Indemnity. This is to protect the bank in case you try to sue them because of

your handicapped carelessness. Not sure 100% but from what I know, when you sign this, the bank won't be responsible if you

give your pin and card for 3rd party to operate and those sort of problems.

If they feel that this letter is not enough, I like to ask them:
** If a sighted person withdraw and get robbed, will you pay them back?
** If a normal person withdraw and the machine error, no cash come out, and I have the prove of withdrawal, will you re-fund

them?

These are the questions and many more which will make them understand that we want to be just the same like others. Another

good example is this. I tried to apply for a Save Deposit Box with my wife. Immediately they responded, Oh, buta tak boleh.

My wife got scared but I walk straight to that officer and asked, why cannot?

"Oh, nanti you kata bank curi barang you sebab you tak nampak, tak tau".

then I asked, you mean to tell me that for sighted person, the bank knows what they put inside and the bank keep track?" So,

no choice, they allowed me.

As for the thumb print, if they insist you sign so much, practice for few weeks and come up with a signature. perhaps, that's

the last solution. Many other credit card providers allow people to sign as initials. As for my bank, they won't allow that

and the require you to sign it cursive. I practiced for few weeks and managed to sign and get the credit card.

Hope these will help. As for the NGO's, I also don't know what to say lah. One interesting is that in many of the ATM

machines, they have Braille to indicate what are the slots for.

I suppose this will be solved in the future when the Act for the handicapped really come to pass in our country. This is our

right! It's also not just to go to the customer service and talk to them. We must go to the source, the Organization &

Method section (O&M). Different banks will carry different name for this section.

Few years ago, I know that BCB allow blind to apply for it after this that happened. I knew that they won't allow Blind to

apply for it but in their advertisement to promote usage of Tele Banking, they used a blind person, cannot cross the road to

the bank cause to busy road and so he used his mobile and call the tele banking to solve it. I called up the Public Relation

section and push them about this and later, they allow the blind to apply for it. Again, now, not sure.

Points are:
** How can the blind person use Tele banking if he/she has no ATM card?
** If so, when a blind person cannot apply for ATM card, why used blind person in advertisement?

I believe that there will solutions in everything!
\

Regards,
B.K. Tan.

Daripada: "Allan Wong" <allan.wkf@LuvFM.net>

hi BK,
yes, i also manage to get my May bank ATM card and with maybank2u registered, but i think that is last time, i dont think you will
have this chance again now if you wish to open a 2nd account with May bank. go try it...

so now, my maybank ATM card is very valuable for me...

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Warmest Regards,
Allan Wong

Daripada: Moses Choo

Hello Mr. Alan Wong,

As someone who is much older than most of you, I suppose I will have to share with you some of the events that have taken place that
many of you may not have heard about.

You have brought to our attention of something that has been around for many years. Before I begin to explain, I want to say that
there are several scenarios..

1. Blind people are prevented to open accounts unless they are accompanied with a witness

2. Anyone who cannot sign is allowed to open an account but may not have ATM facilities.

Let us take the first situation. May bank was the first bank that started insisting that blind people need to bring along a
witness. Under the SBM, many attempts were made to have this settled. We went as high as the then Chairman but it was all not
possible. Some blind people wanted to take up a case and was about to engage a Lawyer, however, the Lawyer had the following
advice.

While the bank may be legally wrong not to allow the blind to start an account on their own, they are morally right as they want to
protect the interest of the blind person. As far as I know, several blind persons have actually been cheated, i.e. being given less
money then what they actually wanted to draw. One of them was my personal friend and it happened in Bank Bumi and Hong Kong Bank.
So, it happened twice.

The Lawyer said that we had a very weak case and there was no law or act of the government that would prosecute organisations or
companies that discriminate the disabled. All these happened during the 1980s.

However, if you had insisted, get a Lawyer to prepare a letter of indemnity, clarifying that you will take your own risk, you just
might be able to open an account. But, why bother to go through the hassle when there are so many other banks.

In case no. 2, i.e. if they don't mention blindness but use the ability to sign, there is nothing much that you can do except to
learn how to sign a good signature. Many blind and when I say blind, I am talking about the totally blind have actually learnt how
to sign. I also know of several blind persons who actually have current accounts. However, don't expect to put a thumb print on a
cheque or when you write an official receipt.

Therefore, if you are rejected based on point no. 2, then there is little that can be done.

And now, let us talk about the present. The SBM and some blind individuals have taken this discrimination by the bank on the blind
seriously and at a meeting held with JKM, Senator Prof Ismail Md Salleh and some NGOs, Dr. Wong Huey Siew voiced this up on behalf
of the SBM. Before we can even look at the discrimination, the OKU act would have to put in place some form of penalty for those
found to have discriminated the disabled. After that, then we can look at all the discrimination and have them all rectified.

The American Disability Act is so powerful because they have set all their penalty in place and I must say, it is a very powerful
act.

Well, with all of your support, we look forward to an act that would solve all our discriminations. Presently, the act is just a
document and within the next few years, it would have to be amended and approved by parliament so that it can safeguard all our
issues.

If anyone of you want a copy of the act, do let me know.

Regards,

Moses.

Daripada: "Allan Wong" <allan.wkf@LuvFM.net>

Moses,
apreciated to your reply.

here is a funny situation wish to share with all of you.

those local banks does not allow OKUs to have ATM cards with the following reason:

1. OKUs easily been cheat, especially blindy.

2. blindy don't know how to use ATM machine and need sighted assistant, so it was a dangerous.

but, with the following bank rule, we as OKUs especially blindy, allowed to have an ATM card:

1. open a join name account and only 1 person to have signature on the account, so this person is a sighted.

from what i understand, almost all banks have this practice because they don't want to "tanggungjawab" if anything happen to this
account, because there is a sighted person sign on it.

my question is, is it really secure when have another person to sign on a join name account?

from my point of view, it will more dangerous because that party might cash out all the money on that account, since he/she have the
authorize on that account.

what do you think?

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Warmest Regards,
Allan Wong

Daripada: "B.K. Tan" <bk.tan74@gmail.com>

Hi Moses,

for the letter of indemnity, you don't have to go through a lawyer. >From what I know, many banks have a sort of form for this purpose.

I opened my MayBank account without any assistance, no sighted. MB2U, also no one helping me, me alone, totally blind person but i managed.

On the NGO's for the blind, they should a central place or unit to collect all sorts of problems a blind person face and then have a body to go through and see the priority and bring it forward. If the people who go forward just listen to a small group or just discuss among themselves, I don't see them representing all the blind around. Perhaps, such forums and open speaking of ideas should be done not only in the form of gathering but in the form of electronic mails such as this.

Haha, perhaps have a group and call it Voice of the OKU's!

Regards,
B.K. Tan.

Daripada: "Moses Choo" <moseschoo@ncbm.org.my>

Well, this is my point of view:

1. By insisting that we have a joint account, the bank is forcing us to declare our account to a third person. This is against giving us our privacy.n

2. As far as I know, the bank will want the blind person's thumb print. I believe it should be an account that needs two signatures before anyone can draw.

3. I don't think risky is the point here as the blind person can be the keeper of the card.

4. The best way to fight this is to say that they have infringed on our privacy.

And finally, if you open at Public bank brickfields, where they know the blind better, you may be able to open your account. You can also try BSN and even eon bank.

What about Heng Kee, can you tell us something, BK whow about your bank?

Regards,
Moses.

Daripada: "hashim ishak" <hashim572002@gmail.com>

Moses and Allan Wong, I got an account with Bank Rakyat and have an ATM card here in melaka, I don't know if KL branch would allow the same...yes May Bank does not allow blind to have an ATM card here... it is the same over here in melaka...

as for the act... we will wait for it to be gazett and the formation of national council for person with disability and the department for oku... perhaps for a start we can launch a complain with national council for oku where it can consider to ask the banks to reconsider their action and if nott telling them that they have discreminat the oku under the oku act...
sekian terima kasih,
Hashim Ishak.

Daripada: "Allan Wong" <allan.wkf@LuvFM.net>

BK,
i have Maybank2u + Maybank ATM card from 2003. now really need to jaga the card baik-baik lo, otherwise, they have another reason to
take it back, they might say, orang buta tak pandai jaga card, so kena ambil balik... hahahaha

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Warmest Regards,
Allan Wong

Daripada: "B.K. Tan" <bk.tan74@gmail.com>

Hi to all,

The most teruk RHB bank I known is the one near Bangkok Bank. The one
further away from Bangkok Bank, previous D&C. Even about 8 yrs ago, they
nearly confiscated my ATM card cause I withdrew money from ATM machine and
then no money came out. When gone to this branch to make report, was warned
and almost took my card back! I managed to save my card by saying this:

"I have waited here so long and the reason why I came here is to make a
report about the ATM machine not releasing money but deducting my account.
What must I wait so long? If you want to know why I have this card, call
your ATM centre, I am rushing to a lawyer firm now! Please make the report
for me and give me back my card!"

For no reason, they officer got scared and gave me back my card! Hehehehehe!

Regards,
B.K. Tan.

Daripada: "B.K. Tan" <bk.tan74@gmail.com>

Hi to all,

Not sure if AmBank is your choice but if you want to use ATM card, go to the
bank with a sighted who can read the forms and letter for you. Just sign
the letter of indemnity and pay Stamp duty RM10. Then you can get the ATM
card. If you cannot get a close friend, just grab any person, even the
customer, as long as not the bank worker!

Regards,
B.K. Tan.

Daripada luahan-luahan yang dipaparkan, ternyata sekali betapa kecewanya mereka yang ingin memakai kad tetapi tidak dibenarkan oleh pihak bank atas pelbagai alasan yang remeh-temeh.

Jadi adalah diharapkan, pihak-pihak yang bertanggungjawab akan dapat mengambil tindakan terhadap semua permasalahan ini. harus diingat, golongan orang buta juga punya hak untuk memakai kad ATM. Janganlah hak golongan orang buta ini dinafikan pula.