Several malls in Malaysia are often equipped with toilets specially designed for the disabled (OKU) whenever they have the need to answer Nature’s call.
However, there are some able-bodied people who hog OKU toilets for other purposes, such as this man who used it to wash clothes for 1.5 hours!
Waited 1.5 hours to use OKU toilet
This unfortunate incident was recorded by para-athlete and OKU advocate Daniel Lee on Tuesday (Mar 21), who suddenly had the urge to use the restroom at Pavilion KL.
When he made his way to the OKU toilet, he found occupied by someone else.
Although he suspected that the person inside wasn’t a disabled individual, he decided to wait and ended up waiting for 1.5 hours.
Unable to wait anymore, Daniel knocked on the door 3-5 times to confirm that someone was inside, where he heard someone yell, “I’m not done!”
A staff from the mall’s management came after Daniel contacted them, and when the man hogging the OKU toilet emerged, he tried to shrug it off and pretend nothing had happened.
Used OKU toilet to wash clothes
When Daniel confronted the man for his actions, the latter told him that he had recently moved out of his residence and wanted to wash his clothes before taking a bus back to his hometown.
He added that he didn’t want to use the regular men’s restroom to do so.
Although the man apologised, he continued to make excuses by claiming that no one was there when he entered and that he thought the cleaners were the one knocking on the door.
When Daniel suggested that they wait for security to arrive and clarify the mall’s policy regarding such incidents, the man became angry and attempted to walk away.
‘I’m not in a wheelchair like you!’
Although Daniel assured the man that he would drop the matter, the man refused to have any of it and insisted he did not disturb anyone, including Daniel, as he was using the restroom prior.
When he was questioned if he had any disabilities, he rudely replied, “Of course I don’t have (any disabilities). I’m not in a wheelchair like you!”
When he was questioned further why he was using the OKU toilet, the man became aggressive and told Daniel to “shut up”.
He then tried to ‘escape’ using the elevator but Daniel continued to be hot on his heels and followed him inside, causing the man to walk out and make a speedy getaway.
Standing up for the OKU community
Speaking to WeirdKaya, Daniel said that the man managed to slip away without any further repercussions.
The conclusion I found was that there’s no policy in place for penalties or reprimand for anyone abusing the accessible restrooms.
“Even if they’re caught, the most mall authorities can do is to tell offenders like him not to do it again,” he said.
When asked why he continued to confront the man even after an apology was made, Daniel said that he wanted to hold the man accountable for his actions.
“An apology only means something if the person is willing to take some form of accountability. He kept giving excuses such as there was no one when he went into the OKU toilet, or that he didn’t like using the men’s toilet.
“All I did was ask him to wait for security so we can find out what is the mall policy regarding issues like this. I assured him multiple times that if there’s a penalty too severe for him, I wouldn’t pursue further than that,” he said.
Daniel added that the man called him names and acted aggressively when he mentioned bringing security personnel into the picture.
On the matter of able-bodied people hogging OKU toilets, Daniel said that it has been a longstanding problem.
“The problem with the practice of abusing PWD facilities by fully able-bodied/minded people is that has major implications to PWDs everyday. Some PWDs can’t hold their bladder for as long, or would have trouble looking for another accessible toilets.”
He added that one of the ways some malls counter this issue is to lock OKU toilets and give the key to cleaners.
“But there have been instances where the cleaners weren’t around and I had to go to different floors in a mall, each time waiting for the elevators for a few mins. I’ve ended up going around for 20 minutes just to get into a restroom,” he said.
Mixed reactions
In the comment section, there was a range of reactions from netizens, with some supporting and praising Daniel.
Some slammed him for shaming the man on social media and argued that he could have used another OKU toilet.
On the other hand, those from the OKU community shared their experiences of being inconvenienced by able-bodied people.
Many people also commended Daniel on keeping his cool and not letting his emotions get the better of him.
Watch the videos of the incident here:
What is your take on the situation? Let us know in the comments!
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