Cheaper fish coming your way?
They need housing aid, better education, public transport and medical equipment
THE 2018 Budget must give more emphasis on the needs of the disabled (orang kurang upaya, or OKU), so as to move them forward in line with the national transformation agenda.
Wheelchair-bound Fariz Abd Rani, 38, laid out his wishlist, which included housing aid, education, public transportation and medical equipment support for the disabled.
“I wish to see more housing for the OKU built. The OKU need housing, which should be disabled-friendly and accessible.
“I believe many disabled people wish for easily accessible public transportation to move around.
“How can people with disabilities
get a job if they can’t even go to their workplace?” he told the
New Straits Times.
Fariz, who is the founder and chief executive officer of Orthovive, which supplies prosthetics, orthotics and wheelchairs, said the government should provide medical equipment for OKU.
He said the government had been providing medical equipment to the OKU, especially wheelchairs, based on the allocated budget and not on actual requirements.
“This is because it is cheaper to give equipment self-picked by government rather than equipment that match their needs or diagnosis.
“It’s about time we give medical equipment to OKUs according to their requirements and needs, regardless of the price difference,” he said.
On education, Fariz said he hoped to see more inclusive schools be built so that OKU children could learn side by side with non-OKU children.
“Education for all should be implemented. We should not separate OKU and non-OKU children in classrooms.
“Vocational schools, too, should have an inclusive syllabus and accommodation for OKU to enrol in.
“Safety issues should not be cited as an excuse to exclude the disabled as other countries have enrolled OKU students in vocational schools.”
Fariz, who is also an ambassador for the Road Safety Department, said the people of Sabah deserved better public transportation, such as the Light Rapid Transit.
He said he hoped the government would allocate a budget for books for rural schools and students, adding that this included building more libraries in rural areas.
“For public safety, the government should invest more in security, so people can feel safe when they are out of their homes at night,” he said.
Kadazan Dusun Cultural Association Youth Council chairman Ceaser Mandela Malakun hoped to see more allocations on entrepreneurship for the young.
Although such programmes have been implemented, he said more training was needed to make young people more business-savvy.
“The government should look into reversing the brain drain.
“We need to have attractive programmes to draw the brightest Sabahans and Malaysians back home.
“The skills they have developed overseas can propel the nation forward.
“We need to get them back through business and employment opportunities.”
Malakun said the budget should also highlight rural education as many rural schools in Sabah lacked basic necessities, adding that the government must improve facilities for rural schools.