GEORGE TOWN: In 2016, Koh Lee Peng was the toast of Penang, having been crowned the state’s Female Paralympian of the Year.
The swimmer did Malaysia proud, winning seven gold and three silver at the Asean Para Games from 2001 to 2005.
Those days, however, seem a distant dream for Koh.
Now, confined to her wheel-chair, she moves around Bandar Perda in Bukit Mertajam selling packets of tissue paper to eke out a living.
This has been her source of income for the last five months.
Koh, who cannot use both her legs, said she had been on the receiving end of snide remarks and insults.
She said some people had accused her of “being used by syndicates” to collect donations, while others thought she was a Vietnamese, Thai or Filipino and demanded she show her MyKad to prove otherwise.
“Of course, I’m disappointed with people’s perception of me. I’m trying to earn an honest living by selling tissue paper. I’m not asking for donations.
“Many people look down on what I do. They don’t know that I was a former para athlete.”
Koh said some people whom she approached had demanded to see her MyKad. She would, however, refuse them.
“I’ve developed a phobia when it comes to showing my MyKad. Someone once snatched my MyKad and ran away.”
She had a job on Penang island, but had to quit as she had difficulty using the staircase. She began selling tissue paper after a chance meeting with an old acquaintance, who helped set up her little business.
“I’ve always wanted to be independent, eventhough sometimes I’ve had to face public humiliation because of my condition.”
Koh was speaking after receiving aid from the National Athletes’ Welfare Foundation (Yakeb) in Taman Tun Sardon, here yesterday.
Present were Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Steven Sim and Yakeb chairman Datuk Noorul Ariffin Abdul Majeed.
Noorul Ariffin said besides providing a living allowance of RM300 each month, YAKEB also presented Koh with a RM5,000 cheque, courtesy of the Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin Foundation.
“We also took measurements for a prosthetic leg for former
national footballer V. Krishnasamy.”
Krishnasamy, 71, had his left leg amputated following diabetic complications.
“Apart from cash aid, we will also give Krishnasamy a prosthetic leg worth RM10,000,” said Noorul Ariffin.
He said Yakeb provided medical aid to another former footballer, Rahim Mohamad, 63, who suffered from heart ailment.
Rahim, a mainstay of the national football team in the 1970s, was recently admitted to hospital for heart surgery.
Yakeb paid his medical bill of RM5,000. It has been paying his medical fees since 2013.
