Musings on OKU-related Procurement
When a budget increases, it is entirely valid to look at it with deep scepticism. Historically, higher allocations have often translated to larger pots for leakages, bloated contracts, and systemic corruption.
The example of central purchasing delivering smart boards and projectors for Blind persons’ programmes perfectly illustrates this failure. It highlights two distinct types of government failure:
- “White Elephant” Procurement: Buying high-tech, expensive equipment like smart boards — which are basically visual tools — for programmes serving Blind persons and Low-vision persons demonstrates a profound disconnect. It reveals that the people writing the tenders have absolutely no understanding of what the OKU community actually needs, or worse, they simply chose the most expensive items in a tech catalogue to inflate the contract value.
- Top-Down Disconnect: Centralized procurement often forces standard “one-size-fits-all” equipment packages onto institutions, bypassing the actual teachers, practitioners, and Blind individuals who could tell them that what they actually need are refreshable Braille displays, screen-reading software licenses (like JAWS), or physical mobility aids.
Furthermore, there are free software programmes. The most widely-used free screen reader software in Malaysia is NonVisual Desktop Access (NVDA), alongside built‑in options like Microsoft Narrator for Windows and Apple VoiceOver for iOS/macOS. NVDA is especially popular among Malaysian civil society organizations (CSOs), schools, work places, and individuals: it is open-source, supports Malay and English, and works well with common applications. All NVDA upgrades are also free. Some Blind users have adapted NVDA to speak dual languages. For example, some Blind persons who prefer to use Chinese go onto web sites and access documents that have Romanised Chinese and Chinese characters. An automatic switch is possible between the use of a Romanised language and a non-Romanised language such as Chinese. In the case of Romanised languages, by paying for an add-on that enables the inclusion of a code for a switch in the use of the Romanised languages, Blind users of screen reader software can use two Romanised languages such as Malay and English. It is noteworthy that some Blind persons are already using these tools by themselves.
Other examples of free software are AMIS, EasyReader Basic, Thorium Reader. Paid commercial tools include EasyReader Premium and VoiceDream Reader. These tools enable users with print disabilities to benefit from Digital Accessible Information System (DAISY) by offering enhanced, user‑friendly and empowering ways to access education, eGovernment and public services, knowledge and community activities. Malaysians with print disabilities can join – free-of-charge – a service like Bookshare (with proof of disability) to access a vast DAISY collection of over 1 million accessible titles in DAISY format, covering textbooks, novels, and reference works. Malaysians could also access via partnership over 100,000 titles in the membership- and UK-based Library of the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), a major DAISY Consortium global partner.
DAISY aligns strongly with commitments in Malaysia’s Digital Accessibility Blueprint (2026–2030), offering a ready-made solution for operationalizing those commitments:
- Universal digital access;
- WCAG‑compliant eGovernment platforms;
- Inclusive design in digital services;
- Assistive technologies for equitable participation;
- Digital talent development and inclusive education.
What is being done to address the above mentioned failures?
The Government has introduced legislative changes aimed directly at these procurement loops, although public scepticism remains high regarding how effectively they will be enforced:
- The Government Procurement Act (Act 882): Royal assent was received on 16 May 2026 and it was published in the Gazette on 26 May 2026. The Act will come into force on a date appointed by the Minister of Finance through notification in the Gazette, meaning commencement depends on a ministerial order. The Act is part of Malaysia’s broader reforms to increase transparency, integrity, and competitiveness in government procurement. It introduces procurement boards, supplier registration requirements, compliance monitoring, and integrity provisions. This new law mandates that the Government disclose all project information publicly, including contractors’ names and final contract values. Civil society groups (e.g., Malaysia Corruption Watch (MCW)) have noted that this level of tender transparency is crucial for spotting inflated or poorly-justified contracts before public funds are committed.
- The Government-Owned Entities Bill, 2024: Tabled in the Dewan Rakyat in late 2024 as part of Malaysia’s governance reform agenda, its purpose is to strengthen oversight, transparency, and accountability of government‑linked companies (GLCs) and statutory bodies, as well as restrict how development funds are funnelled out into unrelated accounts or ghost projects. However, this Bill is still under parliamentary consideration, and is not yet law.
The Real Cost to the OKU Community
When public funds are wasted on mismatched equipment like projectors for Blind persons, it does not just waste taxpayer ringgit; it actively deprives the community of real opportunities. That misallocated budget could have funded actual vocational training, subsidized accessible transport to get people to job interviews, or paid for job coaches to help OKU workers transition into the corporate sector.
Real reform won’t just come from pumping more money into the budget allocations of the Ministry of Finance. It requires decentralized and user-centric procurement, whereby real users in the OKU community and CSOs with experience and networks have a direct vote on exactly what equipment is bought, ensuring that every ringgit spent matches a genuine, physical need on the ground
More Malaysians need to realise this.
By Moses Choo, Blind advocate for OKU rights, and San Yuenwah, The OKU Rights Matter Project
Disability-inclusive Public Procurement
Preferential Contracting for Persons with Disabilities: Approaches to Improving Employment Opportunities and Outcomes for Persons with Disabilities and Disability Inclusion in Business Practices by ESCAP, 01 June 2022
Preferential Contracting for Persons with Disabilities: Policy Paper by ESCAP, 01 June 2022
Disability-inclusive public procurement : promoting universal design and accessibility by ESCAP, 12 December 2019
