Disabled stage protest over new policy

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Published: Saturday October 26, 2013 MYT 12:00:00 AM
Updated: Saturday October 26, 2013 MYT 8:03:44 AM

Disabled stage protest over new policy

BY YASMIN AHMAD KAMIL

Making known their dissatisfaction : Members of the Independent Living and Training Centre and Petpositive holding placards during the protest outside the JKM Gombak office in Jalan Batu Cave

   

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FORTY disabled individuals staged a protest outside the JKM Gombak Office in Jalan Batu Caves.

They were protesting against the new policy requiring annual renewals in order for disabled workers to receive payments from the Social Welfare Department (JKM).

They said the policy, of which they were unaware, had resulted in many welfare recipients not receiving the money for the past few months.

Independent Living and Training Centre (ILTC) secretary Gurdip Kaur said JKM did not send out letters to inform them about the change.

She said many had received an unpleasant surprise upon finding that their monthly allowance had not been banked in.

“They should have informed those concerned before introducing this policy,” said Gurdip, who has been wheelchair-bound for 20 years.

ILTC president Francis Siva said many people in Selangor were affected by the policy.

“The yearly renewal requirement makes life difficult for us,” he said.

He said many were dependent on others to get about.

He said going to the offices was a challenge as many did not have facilities to cater to the disabled, such as ramps for those in wheelchairs.

“We will seek the Government’s help as the RM300 given is very useful to us,” he said, adding that many were dependent on this allowance.

The Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (Petpositive) vice-president Jeyaraj Santraju said JKM personnel had also sent out the Disabled Workers Allowance forms late.

Jeyaraj said even after the forms were submitted, payment was not received and when contacted, JKM staff had said payment would commence the following month.

“They said my allowance would commence in September but that did not happen.

“I contacted them again and they said it would be made the next month,” said Jeyaraj, who is still waiting for his allowance.

Many said they were concerned that the delays would continue despite having submitted their forms.

Jeyaraj said even though the policy was to overcome the problem of JKM continuing to give out allowances to even the deceased, it should be better handled and not cause problems to the disabled.

He added that JKM should not penalise those still living and dependant on the allowance.

Jeyaraj also said payment date was not consistent and that the allowance should be raised to RM500 as the cost of living had escalated.

No JKM representatives were present during the protest.

The protestors later entered JKM’s office and continued to voice out their grievances.

When contacted, a JKM personnel said the department would look into the matter and find a solution soon.

'Pulangkan wang bantuan kami'

Penerima bantuan OKU membuat bantahan di hadapan pejabat JKM Gombak.

'Pulangkan wang bantuan kami

NORAFIZA JAAFAR

25 Oktober 2013

BATU CAVES - Akibat terbeban apabila bantuan kewangan dibekukan, 20 orang kurang upaya (OKU) membuat bantahan di hadapan pejabat Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat (JKM) Gombak, kelmarin.

Walaupun berlaku sedikit ketegangan antara penerima bantuan dengan kakitangan JKM sewaktu perbincangan dilakukan, namun keadaan berjaya dikawal beberapa ketika selepas itu.

Mereka mendakwa JKM tidak menyalurkan bantuan selama tiga bulan menyebabkan mereka berhadapan kesukaran membiayai kos sara hidup, perubatan dan pengangkutan.

Menurut P Gurdip Kaur, 53, sambutan Deepavali tahun ini seolah-olah tidak bererti tanpa sumber kewangan untuk membuat persiapan.

"Saya memang perlukan bantuan RM300 itu untuk belanja hari-hari, untuk bayar bil. Apatah lagi saya dan suami yang juga OKU tidak bekerja.

“Saya tak faham kenapa ini berlaku, sebelum ini bantuan tersebut tidak pernah terganggu," katanya kepada Sinar Harian dengan nada sedih.

Menurut Gurdip, dia tidak perlukan peruntukan tambahan, cukuplah haknya yang dibekukan JKM sejak Julai lalu diberi semula.

Seorang lagi penerima bantuan, A Munusamy, 45, berkata, dia terpaksa berniaga makanan ringan menggunakan motosikal roda tiga untuk menampung perbelanjaan sekeluarga.

“Saya ada empat anak yang masih sekolah umur  9 hingga 16 tahun, isteri saya tidak bekerja.

“Sewa rumah RM450 sebulan, bantuan RM300 sebulan tidak cukup untuk bayar sewa.  Saya terpaksa pinjam ah long,” katanya.

Dalam pada itu, Presiden badan latihan dan hidup berdikari (ILTC), Francis Siva yang mengetuai bantahan itu menyifatkan, bantuan kepada mereka tidak sepatutnya dihentikan memandangkan kebanyakannya tidak bekerja.

“Sepatutnya jumlah bantuan ditingkatkan dari RM300 kepada RM500, bukan membebankan kami semata-mata untuk semakan semula dan mengambil masa yang terlalu lama.

“Nasib kami tidak dibela, kami pernah membawa perkara ini kepada pihak berkaitan, namun tiada sebarang maklum balas diterima,” katanya.

Hadir sama, sebuah pertubuhan Petpositive, S Jeyaraj yang mengharapkan supaya polisi agihan bantuan diubah untuk memudahkan penerima.

“Sebelum ini setiap bulan kami perlu ke JKM mengambil wang. Kenapa tidak dihantar ke rumah kerana kami semua tiada pengangkutan dan memerlukan kos untuk ke sini.

“Wang RM300 yang diterima terpaksa diagih untuk sewa teksi pula," katanya yang berharap wang bantuan diperolehi sebelum Deepavali.

Sementara itu, Pengarah JKM Selangor, Nik Omar Nik Ab Rahman berkata, pihaknya masih menyemak dakwaan yang dibuat.

“JKM perlu ikut prosedur dalam pemberian atau penamatan mana-mana kes bantuan supaya patuh arahan audit. Bagaimanapun JKM Selangor akan buat semakan semula dan bersedia membantu mereka sekiranya keadaan sosioekonomi mereka masih rendah dan perlu bantuan,” katanya

Strong Disabled Protest In Gombak

Strong Disabled Protest In Gombak

23/10/2013

ABOUT 45 Disabled Malaysians have gathered here outside the Social Welfare Department of Malaysia (Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat Malaysia - JKMM) to express our shock and outrage over the department's new nationwide policy for all disabled workers. 

Disabled Malaysians who were receiving workers allowances of RM300 monthly suddenly found our money cut by Welfare. 

The Welfare Department has come up with a new policy that recipients of welfare allowance will have to "renew" our applications for their benefits to continue. 

But we argue that this not only inconveniences us further but it is a hidden attempt to try and disqualify more people from financial assistance. 

We also say that welfare officers should come to our homes to facilitate the reapplication as most of the welfare officers are unfriendly to our wheelchairs with no ramps or toilets. 

The new policy move is seen as an especially cruel blow with Budget 2014 to be announced on Friday and Hindus with disabilities will be unable to celebrate Deepavali on November 2 wit the fund cuts. 

The disabled are demanding that the policy be scrapped at once. 

Please follow the story in full on the media.

The event is organised by PETPOSITIVE and the Independent Living and Training Centre Malaysia, based in Rawang, Selangor. 

RM300 payment for the disabled delayed

Vignesh Kumar

 | October 23, 2013

Thousands of disabled persons in Malaysia are facing the problem of delayed and non payment of their welfare aid. For some, their Deepavali festivities look bleak.

GOMBAK: More than 30 disabled persons gathered in front of the Gombak Welfare office today, claiming they have not received their monthly welfare aid of RM300 for months.

Headed by Independent Living and Training Centre Malaysia (ILTC Malaysia) president Francis Silva, the group gathered outside the Welfare office at 1pm and demanded that the director meet them to explain the delay in disbursement of the overdue aid.

They were informed that the welfare director was away at  a meeting in Shah Alam.

After a few hours the group rushed into the unattended office screaming ”mana duit kami?”

A few welfare officers tried to calm the group and things almost took a nasty turn when a security personnel retorted, “Tolak saja keluar dia orang ini”. Before things could get out of control, he fled the scene.

According to V Balasingam, 43, he has not received aid that is due to him since July. He sought assistance from the welfare department several times but says that he was given empty promises.

“I am struggling as I don’t have a permanent job. RM 300.00 is a big amount of money for me.

“The way they treat us is totally unacceptable. Self proclaim ‘welfare department,” he said with sarcasm.

Balasingam hopes that he can get his funds before Deepavali so that he has some money for the festival preparations.

Another member of the group,  R. Muruga, 41, said that he and his wife, who is also disabled, have not been getting their aid for the past three months.

“They [Welfare department] told me to fill up a form as they claim the system has changed but we still have not received anything.

“I do not understand the rational behind the change of system.”said Muruga, who was born disabled.

“We have to wait under the sun to receive our money.” he added in anger.

G Marimuthu, 56, has also not received his dues for the past three months and hopes the government will ensure that justice prevails.

“I have an eight year old daughter with the money at least I can buy something for her for Deepavali.

“We are disabled and do they care about us?

“Every month I go and check my bank balance but end up disappointed.”

He stressed that he is not the only one but that thousands of disabled persons in Malaysia are facing the same problem.

“If we do not get answers by this week. We will go to [the] welfare ministry to fight for our rights.” he said.

Disabled community and meaningless handouts

Disabled community and meaningless handouts

Anthony SB Thanasayan

 | October 23, 2013

The best budgets have always been the ones that reached down to ordinary persons like the handicapped who soldier on in a society that is built for them just to live for another day.

The national budget is upon us once again.

On Oct 25, the prime minister will, sometime in the late afternoon, walk up to the podium in Parliament House in Kuala Lumpur and reveal the “goodies” to the nation ‘live’ on nationwide radio and television.

Watching the most important minister in the country deliver his time-long and lengthy speech – only to be interrupted with a glass of water from time to time to soothe his hoarse and parched throat – used to be an eagerly sought after tradition by waiting at the TV sets for me and many of my disabled chums.

Unfortunately, until recently, annual budget speeches are no longer a top 10 item anymore.

That’s because the past few ones have been one of the worst for the disabled community.

Sure, the “disabled” gets mentioned in almost every budget speeches without fail.

But nowadays what was once “good news for the handicapped” only ends up to being nothing more than tokenisms and meaningless handouts giving the impression to the unknowing public that the handicapped are still considered “special” in our society.

One of the best budgets wheelchair users, in particular, enjoyed was the very last one that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad delivered before he left office.

He announced free road taxes for cars for the disabled. This was to encourage more disabled Malaysians to get cars in order to become financially independent.

It was originally intended to include all disabled persons such as the blind and the deaf but over time, bureaucrats changed it to only mean the physically handicapped.

Why it became so is anyone’s guess. And why it can’t include disabled persons of all categories is also baffling as having ensured that the entire community benefits from free road taxes (unless of course, one didn’t possess a car) would have told the world how great our country is to think of our truly disadvantaged community.

Dr M’s budget also raised the ceiling for those qualified for employment allowance from RM250 to RM750.

I was there when it happened. A group of us in wheelchairs suggested it to Dr M himself – who was also Finance Minister – during a pre-budget meeting.

As soon as the meeting was over, Mahathir came over to us and shook our hands warmly and quipped, “Make sure you guys don’t speed on the roads after this!”

Some suggestions for Najib

The best budgets have always been the ones that reached down to ordinary persons like the handicapped who soldier on in a society that is built for them just to live for another day.

Here are some suggestions for Budget 2014 that can make a meaningful difference in our lives and helps us go a long way:

1. RM500 monthly allowance for all disabled persons with a disabled identification card: Talk about expensive! Living costs in addition to wheelchair costs, repairs, urine bags, medication and others are always spiralling. Although it is said in paper that medication is free, most wheelchair users with wounds end up having to buy dressing aids and creams in private pharmacies because government hospitals don’t stock such medications.

The situation is exacerbated when the disabled person is unemployed or loses his job after a permanent accident. The monthly aid should be given regardless of whatever other (often very little) aid they may already be getting from the government.

2. The present RM300 aid a month that only workers with disabilities are qualified for should be reviewed and raised to at least RM500.

3. Free telephone and internet charges up to RM200 monthly. Information technology is our way of “getting out” of our homes, learn critical support information about our disabilities (which hospitals rarely tell us), make friends and find opportunities to work from our homes.

4. Rebate on utility bills: For bedridden patients, especially those who have bedsores need to have air conditioning or electric beds and special air mattresses which consume high electricity bills.

5. Fuel subsidy and free toll: These help the disabled save every sen in order to use it for other necessary and emergency expenses related to their handicaps in order to raise our quality of lives.

6. Personal Care Attendants: These are specially trained men or women helpers paid by the government to assist profoundly disabled persons with our daily chores which we can’t perform by ourselves. These include daily living skills like dressing up, transferring from the bed to the wheelchair, bathing, eating and other basic needs to assist all our yet undiscovered Malaysian ‘Stephen Hawking’s’ in our society.

With an increasing ageing population all over the world, governments including those in Asia are beginning to look at Personal Care Attendants to take care of the disabled and elderly in the future.

With old age comes disability. This is a true fact that our society needs to face squarely instead of trying to sweep in under the carpet.

Looking into such needs and services are not an option but a must. And it is high time that Budget 2014 starts to address these issues.

What plans does our nation currently have in preparing for an older society of Malaysians and persons with disabilities?

Anthony SB Thanasayan is a wheelchair and animal activist. He is also a city councillor.

Don't forget the disabled

Don't forget the disabled

BY YI LIANG

It’s time society took care of its more vulnerable members.

THE Klang Valley is no place for a person with a disability. I see it all the time. Uneven, cracked and narrow pavements built beside busy roads choked with traffic. Three-storey shophouses with no lifts, just flights and flights of stairs. And fast-food joints that no wheelchair user can enter – with floors raised high above the five-foot-way and no ramp in sight.

My significant other, Keisha, and I often encounter this when we bring her dogs for their walk around her Sri Hartamas neighbourhood. She has to drive her powered wheelchair on the road, instead of the safer, traffic-free pavement – as the pavements in this upper-middle class neighbourhood are too narrow, too cracked for the power chair.

If Keisha were to drive her chair on it, and believe me, we have tried – there is the real risk of its wheels getting stuck in a crack or slipping off into a grassy ditch when she tries to make a turn, among other potential hazards.

How about the shopping centres then? For the most part, they pass muster. But we have had our share of incidents, such as when we went to pick up dinner at a fast food outlet earlier this week. We thought it would be a quick, uneventful in-and-out affair.

But there was one problem. She couldn’t enter the outlet as their floor was raised too high above the five-foot-way for her wheelchair to enter, its wheels spinning with futility, stuck against the step created by the raised floor. What was needed was a ramp – and there was none in sight.

Speaking up to the outlet’s management turned out to be a finger-pointing exercise, as they said the building management prohibited them from making any modifications to the frontage outside their shop.

That got me thinking – what legal rights does a person with a disability have in this country? How can we all speak up to say “Hey, they’re people. They have equal rights, too!”

Naturally, I turned to the Federal Constitution – and Article 8 caught my eye. It basically reads:

> All persons are equal before the law and entitled to the equal protection of the law;

> Except as expressly authorised by this Constitution, there shall be no discrimination against citizens on the ground only of religion, race, descent, gender or place of birth in any law relating to the acquisition, holding or disposition of property or the establishing or carrying on of any trade, business, profession, vocation or employment; and

> There shall be no discrimination in favour of any person on the ground that he is a subject of the Ruler of the State.

When I read it, a chill went down my spine. At face value, the Federal Constitution appears to be silent when it comes to protecting people with disabilities.

It prohibits religious discrimination, racial discrimination, gender discrimination, and discrimination of people based on their place of birth, but when it comes to protecting against discrimination for people with disabilities, Article 8 is silent on this point – creating a grey area in the law, and the usual method of clearing this confusion is by filing a lawsuit, such as a discrimination suit – and fighting it all the way to the Federal Court.

And such lawsuits can take a decade or perhaps even longer to reach the Federal Court.

Factoring in the time, the cost and the psychological toll of such a lawsuit, not to mention the forest that would have to die to make all the paperwork needed for it – there has to be a better way to set in stone the legal rights of people with disabilities in Malaysia.

Which is why I consulted Malaysian Bar Council president Christopher Leong to get an authoritative take on the matter – and in his expert view, Article 8 combined with Article 5(1) gives rights to people with disabilities, as the right to life laid down in Article 5(1) is far-reaching in its definition of a right to life.

The article states simply that “no person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty save in accordance with law”.

“Article 5(1) guarantees everyone the right to life, and when we talk about the right to life, we are not talking about mere existence. It also speaks of the quality of life. So you read Article 5(1) with Article 8, which says that everybody must be treated with equality under the law,” said Leong.

“The two Articles read together places an obligation on the state to provide as far as possible the same quality of life for all persons, including persons with disabilities. Article 8 should also be read to mean that laws should be enacted to provide for the disadvantaged so they may be treated equally,” he added.

Ultimately, what does all this legalese mean?

It means a platform exists to press for real on-the-ground equality for people with disabilities – whether it means writing to building management bodies, municipal councils, state assemblymen, MPs or even Cabinet ministers to press for reforms, to remind them that every person in Malaysia has the equal right to fair treatment, be they “normal” or a person with a disability.

It means no-one has any excuse to treat people with disabilities as inferior human beings or to deny them their Constitutional right to be integrated within the fabric of society –be it in schools, institutions of higher learning, hospitals, workplaces or even theme parks and shopping malls.

So with these tools – let’s speak up, forge ahead and don’t give up the fight!

> The writer wonders how many Helen Kellers, Stephen Hawkings and Franklin Delano Roosevelts we have lost due to prejudice, ignorance and apathy. The views expressed are entirely the writer’s own.

Disabled To Protest Sudden Cut On Disability Allowance

Saturday, October 19, 2013

DisaDisabled To Protest Sudden Cut On Disability Allowance

PETPOSITIVE NEWSFLASH!

DATELINE KUALA LUMPUR:

CRITICISM is mounting over the Welfare Department by the disabled who discovered that their monthly employers allowance benefit of RM300.00 had been suddenly cut from the government. 

Many of them realised this after going to the bank to withdraw the cash only to find out that the monies were not put in in the first place. 

Some of those who received the nasty shock and were devastated by it were Hindus who were looking forward to using it to celebrate the upcoming Diwali festival on November 2.

Francis Siva being helped out of his car

Speaking to PET+BLOGSPOT this morning, G Francis Siva who is from PETPOSITIVE and also the president ofIndependent Living and Training Centre Malaysia situated in Rawang, Selangor, said the arbitrary decision by the Welfare Department was a big blow to the handicapped community all across the country. 

"Cutting the EPC allowance and asking the disabled to reapply for it each year is a humungous burden for the handicapped - many of whom can't even access.s their 

Welfare building in their area," Siva pointed out.

"Even if the Government feels they have to do it, then the

onus is on them to visit each and every of the allowance recipients' homes to help them make their renewals. This should be done well in advance to ensure that their payments are not interrupted. The issue is so critical to our survival that we have no choice but to publicly protest against their heartless policy." added Siva. 

PETPOSITIVE has raised the matter to a top official in the Welfare Department who expressed her genuine concern and promised to look into the matter urgently.