Hassles for senior citizen without a smartphone

I GO to shopping complexes to buy household provisions, and I sometimes take public transport when I do so.

I have often been stopped and questioned either by security guards or auxiliary police personnel as to my purpose, which is none of their business. Since youngsters ahead of me are not stopped, do these gentlemen believe that oldies like me should not be “wandering around”?

The most frequent issue is that I do not have a smartphone to scan the MySejahtera QR code. Not everyone carries one and some do not even have a “stupid” phone, which is all I can afford.

The point is, what is the rule? At a mega mall and KL Sentral, I have been denied access at one entrance but I managed to enter through another after writing down my particulars.

Walking the underground from KL Sentral to exit near the National Museum, I was interrogated about my purpose. When I said I was going to the Taman Perdana (when it was still open), the guard said I could not proceed and waved a laminated card at me. So I backtracked to KL Sentral, exited and made my way around the skyscrapers to the park.

At Dataran Merdeka, I flagged down a GOKL bus but before allowing me to board, the driver wanted to know where I had been (to buy lunch) and where I was headed (home).

What is happening? Do we need this?

I can only conclude that among our local security guards and auxiliary police, there are many who think they know what is best for the public and so make up their own rules.

In Europe, there are laws against ageism. I am not suggesting that our Parliament implement such laws here. That’s far from it because oldies are generally treated decently here.

GEORGE THOMAS , Kuala Lumpur