not much being done for the disabled

LAST year was, sadly, an extremely disappointing year for me and many of my disabled activist chums.

Despite state welfare ministers praising themselves for their great “achievements” on behalf of the OKU (orang kurang upaya, or disabled) in Malaysia, there were many ugly incidents in 2019 that made us extremely disappointed with the Pakatan Harapan government, especially the welfare ministers.

We are deeply concerned that not enough has been done to raise the quality of the lives of the OKU – especially the poor ones who have little to no help.

The disabled individuals and groups the welfare ministers work with currently are limited and not wide enough to represent the many types of disabled persons in our society, such as those with severe disabilities like paralysis from the neck down (tetraplegics) who need more and immediate assistance compared with others.

Looking back over 2019, I can’t forget the horrible incidents that transpired that affected the disabled community. These include:

A Pakatan minister suggesting another community of people – the LGBT – should use disabled toilets because some people felt embarrassed by their presence in non-disabled facilities.

> Not only were non-disabled people allowed to park in lots set aside for the disabled at their HQs but they were officially endorsed with approval stickers for the day. This happened twice.

When we confronted the ministers about it, they pretended to not know about it. They promised to conduct an investigation into the incidents but have yet to get back to us or even apologise for what happened.

> Refusing to see us for months until we had to gatecrash their meetings and hold a demonstration outside their offices. Even though they knew we were coming, they didn’t have the courtesy to see us or have their team receive us. (Only Housing and Local Government Minister and Ampang MP Zuraida Kamaruddin received us at the last minute in an impromptu gesture.)

> Holding a so-called “consultation” Budget 2020 session in a Parliamentary-like format where about 200 disabled persons were given only three minutes each to speak, only once, without a chance to speak again. It was one of the most disabling sessions I have ever attended for the OKU.

> Our request for a monthly allowance of RM500 to help the most disadvantaged in society make ends meet fell on deaf ears. We were told there wasn’t enough money to go around. When we heard later how much ministers and MPs get, it was just rubbing salt into our wounds.

As disabled Malaysians we sadly continue to get only scraps from the table from Pakatan just as we did from Barisan Nasional previously. That too, only if we are lucky.

Our wish for 2020 is that the disabled in Malaysia will be treated more like human beings rather than garbage in society because we deserve better.

ANTHONY THANASAYAN President, PetPositive