BATIK BAGS, BEAUTIFUL BONDS: PWD ARTISANS CRAFT MEMORIES FOR ASEAN 2025

By BALQIS JAMALUDIN

MARANG, May 16 (Bernama) -- The production of nearly  2,000 batik bags for delegates of the 2025 ASEAN Meeting has been a deeply meaningful experience for 14 persons with disabilities (PwD) working at TAPAi Boutique in Wakaf Tapai.  

They have been involved in the project since the start of the year.

Despite facing a tight deadline of just two to three months to complete the order, these special individuals, aged between 16 and 34, embraced the challenge with unwavering enthusiasm and commitment.

For  Siti Zulaikha Abd Muin, 34, one of the most unforgettable moments came when she and her friends stayed overnight at the boutique for several days to ensure the bags were completed on time.

“From January to March, we practically lived at the boutique. Our parents would bring us fresh clothes every day, and I remember eating instant noodles at 2 or 3 in the morning with our teachers and friends.

“It may seem trivial, but those were beautiful memories, all because of the order for the ASEAN conference,” she told Bernama when met at the boutique.

Siti Zulaikha, who was born with physical disabilities, is one of the full-time workers at the boutique, which produces batik and songket handicrafts, including bags, accessories, and souvenirs.

Another worker, Aishatul Radhiah Mohd Abdul Ghani, 34, who is a deaf mute, described the ASEAN project as an opportunity to prove that PwD individuals are capable of producing quality products.

“It wasn’t easy to make so many bags in such a short time, but with teamwork and determination, we pulled it off.  I was so thrilled to see the bags we made being used by ASEAN delegates on the news,” she said in sign language, with interpretation provided by Siti Zulaikha.

Meanwhile, TAPAi Boutique manager Wan Nur Akmal Wan Ibrahim shared that the ASEAN project orders came from several ministries and government agencies, often through informal connections and word of mouth.

“At the beginning of the year, we received an order for 200 batik backpacks from a ministry. After completing that, in March, another ministry placed an order for 300 batik bags of the same type.

“Not long after, someone from a government agency contacted me to place an order for 1,000 document bags, small clutches, and lanyards. Alhamdulillah, we managed to complete everything on schedule,” she said.

Wan Nur Akmal said the ASEAN conference, chaired by Malaysia this year, turned out to be a blessing for the boutique’s PwD artisans, with some earning up to RM5,000, depending on the amount of work they put in.

TAPAi Boutique, located in the small town of Wakaf Tapai, has been operating since 2017, starting with a startup grant of RM18,000 from the Social Welfare Department (JKM) under the PwD economic empowerment project.

Today, it employs 14 PwD workers, including those with Down syndrome and autism, under the guidance of eight teachers, comprising two special education teachers from Koperasi Komuniti Cakna Wakaf Tapai Marang Berhad and six from the Wakaf Tapai Community-Based Rehabilitation Organisation (PPDK).

“Attendance of the PwD workers depends on their health and emotional state. However, each individual has unique skills that we truly value,” said Wan Nur Akmal.

In addition to bags and lanyards, other products made at the boutique include hair ties, wall clocks, neckties, and handbags, all featuring local batik and songket designs.

-- BERNAMA