Just do away with the nonsensical JKMPay, disabled groups tell the PM
THE Government should abolish the (JKM Cashless Assistance Payment Pilot Project (JKMPay) and revert back to the old way of assisting the disabled community, said Malaysian Spinal Injuries Association (MASIA) founder S Jeyaraj.
He said this after several non-governmental organisations (NGO) staged a peaceful protest outside the Parliament building today, which was participated by nearly 80 people.
In April last year, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Rina Harun launched the JKMPay project for the disabled.
The programme, in collaboration with Bank Islam Malaysia Bhd (BIMB), would ensure half of the approved cash aid would be distributed through a cashless card dubbed JKMPay, with the rest going to their bank accounts.
However, the cashless card can only be used at stores registered with the bank, with infuriated many NGOs dealing with people with disabilities.
Touching on the matter, Jeyaraj alleged that Rina made the decision unilaterally without consulting any representatives from the disabled community on April 9 last year.
“This is hurting us very badly. Despite Dewan Negara Senator Datuk Ras Adiba Radzi herself telling the minister to halt the project, Rina refused to heed her advice.
“This is causing us much difficulty and it goes against the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,” he told FocusM.
Realising that the NGOs would be seeking the prime minister’s intervention, Jeyaraj claimed that Rina had called them for a meeting on Feb 24, which they had flatly rejected.
“She even had the gall to tell us that project was been postponed yesterday. However, the postponement only applies to new applicants to the welfare funds, not existing recipients,” he mentioned.
Let us live in dignity
With that, Jeyaraj urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob to intervene on the matter and abolish JKMPay scheme as soon as possible.
“We are prepared to have a discussion with the prime minister so as to allow the disabled community to live a quality life with dignity,” he quipped.
Later, a few Pakatan Harapan MPs such as Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Nurul Izzah Anwar and Hannah Yeoh came to offer the groups support over the cause outside the Parliament.
Their memo was eventually received by an officer named Azlina, who works at the Prime Minister’s Department.
More than 50 NGOs sent their representatives to the rally today. Among the groups that participated were Independent Living and Training Centre Malaysia (ILTC Malaysia), Persatuan Orang Kurang Upaya Anggota Melayu Malaysia (POKUAM), The Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association {Petpositive) and Persatuan Kebajikan Sahabat Prihatin Kuala Muda (Kedah). – March 1, 2022.
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