A tale of loss for deaf e-hailing driver assaulted while on the job

Ong Ing Keong sits at a table in a busy restaurant in Bangsar, apparently unperturbed by the hustle and bustle around him.

Around him, waiters weave in and out of the crowd and the sound of conversation fills the air – but the noise has no effect on Ong, who is hearing-impaired.

Yet a closer look at him reveals a string of minute gestures which betray his calm exterior. At times, anger flickers across his face as he releases a sigh. At other times, he shakes his head while continuously tapping his finger against the screen of his phone.

It is lunch time and the volume around them steadily increases, but the conversation between Ong and his friends, held in sign language, continues unaffected.

They are discussing a recent court case involving a man who attacked Ong at a hotel as he was going about his business as an e-hailing driver. That was several months ago, but Ong is still haunted by the experience.

When asked about it, he just shakes his head.

"I am very disappointed by the court's decision to fine that man a mere RM1,000," he told MalaysiaNow with the help of a friend who acts as an interpreter.

For Ong, the sentence is a reflection of the judiciary's treatment of the disabled community in Malaysia.

He also questioned the identity of his attacker, Taufik Ismail.

"Was he the same person seen in the CCTV footage and the dashcam of my car? Why was he brought to court shrouded in mystery, to the point that he was hidden from the public?

"For the deaf community, visuals are very important. Everyone has a name. But we need a visual with which to match that name. If there is nothing to see, does this man even exist?"

Loss of a child

Even before the assault, Ong had gone to work each day with a sense of heaviness which he ascribed to the death of his only son in May.

The boy, just 14 years old, had been involved in a road accident and Ong held himself responsible. He said he had not spent enough time with his son as he was busy with work.

"He died at my mother's home town in Perak," he said. "After that, I was very sad. I also felt that it was wrong of me to go out to work and leave my wife alone in the house.

"Was it not enough that my son had just died? After that, this happened to me and my crying face became a public spectacle."

Public apology

Ong and his friends said the deaf community felt that the case had yet to receive justice. When asked what this would require, they said Taufik should meet them face to face and issue a public apology.

"Do it in front of the media and broadcast it on television or social media. Remember, visuals are very important for our community."

But Ong himself is trying to continue his daily routine without being dogged by the experience.

He described the case as simple, adding however that the investigation was strange as it had taken a long time.

When asked if he was aware of the sentiment behind the case, which involved an escort to the escort of Johor's Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, he nodded. However, he declined to elaborate, saying only that the case should be easy to resolve.

Out and about

After finishing his lunch, Ong gets back to work, picking up and dropping off passengers around the capital city.

He is a patient and careful driver, pulling over to wait for each passenger at the side of the road.

If he has some time to himself, he finds a shady spot under a tree and checks his phone for messages.

His phone also holds a family picture of himself, his wife and his son – a precious memory of time gone by.

Ong is grateful for the support he has received since his assault.

"I also want to say thank you to my lawyer as well as Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Karim who helped me find legal counsel," he said.

"It doesn't matter our race, religion or background – we are all Malaysians."