By: Ravi Philemon

People with disabilities today enjoy concessionary rates when they take public transport. This was not always the case. Following years of lobbying, the Government had a change of heart in 2014. And the person who was the face of this fight for a more compassionate Singapore was a woman – Reena Rajasvari.

Reena, an ex-teacher, lost her sight when she was 28 years old. In her own words: “One evening, I was doing my students’ papers after dinner. Suddenly, everything went dark. I checked [with] my mum whether the lights [were] on. She said all the lights [were] bright, but I was not even able to see my own fingers.”

A check-up with the ophthalmologist revealed she was suffering from silent acute glaucoma. Sudden, rapid buildup of fluid pressure in her eyes had damaged the optic nerves.

Reena, at first, could not accept that she was blind, and she had to give up her teaching career. All of this made her to go into a depression and she even attempted suicide a few times. But a visit to a home for persons with multiple disabilities was her turning point.

“𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐈’𝐦 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭,” 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝.

Reena was soon picking up new skills and championing different causes. And among the causes she lent her voice to, was the effort to get public transport subsidy for all people who were disabled.

She has been lobbying for public transport subsidy since 1999. In her quest, she met a few Members of Parliament and also wrote to the various government agencies and the public transport operators. When all her efforts appeared to be in vain, she rolled-up her sleeves and galvanised a community of persons with different disabilities to push hard for change.

She believed that subsidised public transportation was necessary for persons with disabilities because a large percentage of such people earn meager salaries, some making as little as $200 – $300 per month. She said that it is unfair for them to pay at least a third of their earned income to pay for transportation. She pointed out that it is precisely on this basis that students, NSFs and the elderly are given transport subsidy. The persons with disabilities, like the other people groups, have little to no earning capacity and hence, the transport subsidy is justifiable, she argued.

Reena organised a public petition with her friends, took to the Speakers’ Corner, and urged the Government to hear their pleas. It was the first time (perhaps the only time) persons with disabilities made a public plea using Speakers’ Corner to highlight their plight to the Government.

When the Government turned down their pleas, saying “it was administratively difficult to give such a subsidy”, and when the public transport operators turned down her petition saying, “(they have to be) prudent about extending any travel concessions beyond the present eligible groups (because) concession fares are cross-subsidized by full-fare paying passengers with no direct subsidy”, she pushed even harder.

Reena found allies in human rights groups like MARUAH, as well as the media (both the online and mainstream media). She told her story in a clear manner which won many hearts and minds towards their cause.

Sylvia Lim, the Chairman of Workers’ Party (WP) eventually took their plea all the way to Parliament. Sylvia said, “There are currently no public transport concessions for the disabled. The disabled here have low earning capacity. Many do not work; those who do, earn a few hundred dollars per month, spending up to a third on travel expenses. The government has often said that we should build an inclusive society. It therefore should not take a back seat on this issue.”

Then-Transport Minister Raymond Lim replied to Sylvia in Parliament saying, “I’d be very slow in stipulating (to operators) how best to run the concession policy.”

The efforts of Sylvia did not go unrecognized. When GE2011 came around, Reena organised two of her friends with disabilities to attend the WP rally to garland Sylvia, to thank her for lobbying for transport subsidy for persons with disabilities in Parliament.

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐩𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐄𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟏 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐬.

In April 2012, less than a year after the election, the Government acknowledged that its national subsidy schemes were inadequate and rolled out a mobility fund for persons with disabilities. Two years later, in March 2014, the Government finally announced a new public transport concession scheme for persons with disabilities.

It was a victory which was not easily won. Reena told me that during her campaign for transport subsidy for persons with disabilities, people of authority in the welfare organisations which were serving them would discourage her friends from participating in her campaigns and even threatened that they will be arrested together with Reena. I can barely imagine how traumatic the experience must have been for her and her friends.

𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐚 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨.

Today, because of the perseverance of Reena and the people who walked alongside her, persons with disabilities enjoy concessionary travel on public transport.

Through her tenacity, she showed the Government how it can be that much more compassionate.
I am writing this today because I believe that this is a story which ought to be told. This is a woman who must be remembered.

𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲.

Rest in Peace, Reena.

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” (2 Timothy 4: 7 – 8)