Dressed in the distinctive ‘Harimau Malaya’ polo shirt and holding a discoloured clipping of a 2019 news story on her, she keeps station on the pavement between the Pavilion KL and Starhill Gallery luxury shopping centres.
Koh represented Malaysia in the Asean Para Games between 2001 and 2005 and brought home seven gold and three silver medals. In 2016, she was the talk of her home state Penang after being crowned the state’s Female Paralympic of the Year.
Sadly, Koh’s glory was fleeting. In 2019, she was at the centre of allegations that she was being used by syndicates to collect donations by selling tissue holders in Bukit Mertajam.
Although her predicament was addressed by several government agencies who made a big show of offering cash aid to her and fellow para athletes, the assistance was short-lived.
Koh moved to Kuala Lumpur in 2020 to start anew right before the pandemic hit and stayed in accommodation provided by a charity for the disabled.
“The boss of the organisation very kindly took me in. I’m not in good health and often have fainting spells,” she told FMT.
She said she now sews tissue holders with her friends and peddles them on the streets every day.
“I don’t sell them at a fixed time or place. It depends on how I feel that day and if the weather isn’t too extreme.
“I don’t beg or disturb people. If they want to buy my goods they are more than welcome and if they don’t, that’s their prerogative. I am doing an honest day’s work and that’s all that matters to me,” she said.
When asked whether she expected any further financial assistance from the government, she firmly said no.
“I have experienced many challenges in my life, and I have learnt that when officials make promises there is no follow through, or the solutions they provide are only temporary.
“It’s disappointing but I have learnt to be self-sufficient,” she said wearily.
She said she finds gratification in producing her handmade pouches and is proud of her independence. “My resilience and the kindness of strangers keep me going. That is all I need,” she said.
Koh’s plight resurfaced yesterday after Twitter user @fxwxb documented his encounter with the former para swimmer.
In his tweet, he pointed out that Koh’s situation was a symptom of a larger issue in Malaysia that needed prompt attention.
“If any politicians are reading this, and you want to help – table it. Table a public white paper to make a significant change policy-wise to address the plight of these athletes,” he said.
Koh can be found near the pedestrian crossing between Pavilion KL and Starhill Gallery shopping centres in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, on most days. She sells intricately-designed cloth pouches in vibrant colours for holding tissue paper.