UNPLEASANT: Moving on makeshift boards or crawling, the disabled beggars, some of whom are aggressive, are becoming permanent features at night markets:-
KUALA LUMPUR: DISABLED beggars are a common sight at night markets all over the city. Checks by Streets at several night markets revealed that these disabled beggars targeted popular open-air pasar malam.
At Taman Bukit Kuchai in Puchong, the beggars appear as the crowd builds about 6pm.
We came across a beggar without legs who was moving around on a makeshift wooden board with small wheels. He caught the attention of those in the pasar malam by shaking a can with some coins in it.
Despite being on his board, the beggar moved quite fast through the many lanes in the pasar malam.
When we tried to photograph him, he was annoyed and shooed us away.
There were others here, some with either deformed limbs or limbless whom the night-market goers took pity on as they dropped some loose change into their bowls.
Just as we were about to leave the pasar malam, we saw another beggar crawling as he went on his “rounds” to collect money.
He, too, showed his anger when we tried to photograph him. He ignored us when we repeatedly asked him where he was from.
At the Kelana Jaya night market near Wisma FAM, we saw a burly disabled man with one leg sitting by the roadside.
A stall operator said he saw the panhandler hobbling to the market using a stick.
“I saw him coming out of a taxi. For someone who is supposedly disabled, he was able to move pretty fast,” said the stall operator.
As we walked around the market, we heard him chanting prayers in a foreign language.
We noticed quite a number of people dropping small change into his cup.
We returned at about 8.30pm but he was no longer there.
A stall operator, who requested anonymity, said many beggars come to the pasar malam every week.
“I think they earn quite a bit begging at the market,” said the stall operator, adding that about 2,000 people visited the pasar malam which ceases operations about 9pm.
“These beggars can easily earn about RM200 or more in just three hours,” she said.
Streets also visited the Saturday night market in Batu 14 Puchong, and found a disabled beggar waiting for handouts.
He uses one hand to hold a small bowl and the other to move the makeshift boards he lies on. The beggar without legs, looks like a foreigner.
A market trader, who only wanted to be known as Rama, believed that these beggars were part of a syndicate.
“With that kind of disability, it would be very difficult for him to move around. Someone must be dropping and picking him up.
“I am sure you can see them at other night markets,” said Rama.
The beggar we saw at the Batu 14 Puchong on Saturday was also begging at the Section 18 Shah Alam night market on Monday.
When we approached him, he yelled: “Jangan kacau” (Don’t disturb)”.
A night market trader here, who only wanted to be known as Mat, said these disabled beggars could be trampled on or cause others to trip as they crawled or moved on their makeshift boards.
“It is difficult for people to see them. I hope the authorities would do something about this soon,” said Mat.
– NST
