PETPOSITIVE AT THE WOMEN, FAMILY & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT MINISTRY
PETPOSITIVE received a last-minute telephone call and fax from the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development in Kuala Lumpur requesting for us to be present at a meeting at 4.30pm in the building with the Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen.
The call was made on Monday at noon. I immediately made a call to Francis Siva, President of the Independent Living and Training Centre in Rawang, Selangor and the next thing I knew, we were all at the Ministry by 3.30pm.
Petpositive was also represented by Stanislaus Anthony who is a person with walking difficulties. 
The meeting was held to discuss what special measures in terms of finance was needed for the disabled community in the light of the price hikes that the Government introduced last week.
Representatives of nearly a dozen disabled organisations - together with ours - were also present as we deliberated for two-and-the-half-hours with the Ministry, as well as the Welfare Department about our needs.
The disabled unanimously suggested that a financial aid of RM500 a month be given to all disabled persons - whether they have cars or not. 
He also suggested that the same help be given to our family caregivers.
There were other suggestions too. Some suggested that the current excise duty for the purchase of cars for the disabled be done away with. 
Others wanted significant cuts in Internet bills so that all disabled persons can afford them.Dr Ng Yen Yen was quick to concur by saying that the Internet was a "necessity" for the handicapped.
Dr Ng also invited the disabled to give their frank feedback regarding the services they receive from her Ministry as well as that of the Welfare.
She promised that quick action will be taken to our requests.The meeting ended with the Minister requesting all the participants to send in their final proposals within the week.
She will then take our requests to the Ministry of Finance, she said, and lobby for our cause. 
Well, let's keep our fingers crossed everybody, that something good and helpful will come out of the meeting to help us all.One of the things that I was personally disappointed was that no date or follow up meeting was decided on when we left the building.
Let's hope that we will all be called again to the Ministry so that we can effectively tackle many of the other issues that plague the disabled in our Malaysian society.The meeting was attended by the physically handicapped, the blind, Deaf and a parent or two of the disabled.
PETPOSITIVE was quick to point out that the group present only represented a small section of the disabled.
Others like persons with Parkinson's disease, stroke sufferers, diabetics who became disabled were not present and that all of these persons and more need to be sought to help improve their quality of lives as well.
