Feeling the pinch
Wheel Power
By ANTHONY THANASAYAN
IT HAS been a while since I “read” out some of the wonderful responses that I get from readers of this column. Here are extracts:
I have been an avid reader of Wheel Power since I was sighted. However, I am now totally blind. It was most frustrating not to be able to read the newspapers after I lost my sight.
However, that all changed when I started using a screen reader. I am now able to follow your column once again online with my computer.
Some weeks ago, you wrote about the difficulties faced by disabled Malaysians in applying for free travel passes with RapidKL’s public transport service. I was relieved to hear from my friends that the problem has been settled.
Recently, however, the disabled, as you know, find themselves confronted with another tremendous challenge – inflation.
With spiralling costs, the blind and other handicapped people in our society are having serious hardships in acquiring their basic needs. In a nutshell, it is hard for us to tighten an already firmly tightened belt.
Not long ago, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen increased the special allowance for working disabled people.
This is most commendable. The minister had obviously considered the sharp impact of fuel hikes and inflation on the disabled.
However, I regret to point out that there is still a group of disabled persons that the minister has inadvertently left out. These are persons under the Socso invalidity pension scheme. Socso, as I understand, is under the purview of the Human Resources Ministry.
This group of permanently disabled people did not get any raise when civil servants got theirs. They were forgotten in last year’s budget as well. Their last pension review was in 2006.
The tiny raise that the handicapped received then is a pittance compared to our present fuel costs.
As the Finance Ministry is presently in consultation with various disability groups ahead of the upcoming Budget, I sincerely hope that the Socso invalidity pension scheme will be high on its priority list as the current situation is putting a tremendous pressure on pensioners.
Do you know that some disabled pensioners only receive about RM400 a month?
What difference would so little make?
VK
Thanks for your views, VK. You may be interested to know that a group of disabled people and organisations for the handicapped met Dr Ng last month.
They requested that all disabled persons nationwide be granted an additional RM500 (minimum) as a special monthly allowance. This, they said, should be in addition to whatever
financial aid they are presently receiving, in view of the present inflation crisis.
The unanimous view also stipulated that even those without jobs – who frequently don’t qualify for financial aid – should also be entitled to such a grant.
The groups insisted on this based on the fact that the disabled, compared to the able-bodied, face a higher cost of living. Their expenses include costs of medications, special aids and devices, and other necessities. Let’s hope that this request becomes a reality soon.
On the group of disabled persons who made a trip to Parliament House to demand that politicians show respect for the disabled in their speeches, (able-bodied) DW from Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, wrote:
Our MPs should treat every disabled person with respect.
People who think that they are infallible cannot be more mistaken. Sooner or later, we will all be frail and infirm and be confronted with some form of disability. It would be foolish for anyone to think that he or she will remain young and strong forever.
Syabas to all you brave souls in wheelchairs for taking the time and trouble to educate us on this fact of life.
Finally, here is very positive feedback from one participant of an animal-assisted therapy session held at the Selangor Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Kuala Lumpur last month:
I thoroughly enjoyed the visit by the members of Petpositive. As an able-bodied person, I benefited even more than the disabled and elderly persons who came to our animal shelter to care for our puppies and kittens.
The happiness and lovely smiles on their faces said a thousand words! The healing touch of an animal to a human is truly magnificent. Animals see no differences in human beings. Neither should we.
Christine Chin
SPCA chairman
Selangor
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