Disabled community pleased - BN Manifesto 2013

April 8, 2013

FMT LETTER: From V Murugeswaran, via e-mail

Barisan Nasional’s manifesto which was revealed to the public yesterday looks like the most promising manifesto by Barisan after so many years.

I was delighted when Najib Tun Razak launched BN’s manifesto in line with his idea of ‘People First’. It is the first time in the history of nation where the disabled community’s needs were given importance just like every other aspect which a developing nation needs.

It is a promise to ensure integration and development of people with disabilities together with the rest of the Malaysian. The pledge to ensure Rapid Bus system caters for the disabled in every state is a good start to transform our current inaccessible transportation system, a cause which the disabled community in this country has been fighting for all these years.

Having said the above, it is important for the Barisan team to have the support of the local authorities to ensure that infrastructure aspects like bus stops are upgraded to cater to the needs of the people with disabilities.

While I am delighted with attentiveness shown by the Barisan team via their manifesto, I can’t help to wonder how, if given the mandate, Barisan will harness OKU’s full potential.

There are few important pledges which I think the barisan team ought to have included in their manifesto. Mainly, the Disabled People’s Act which needs amendment to ensure the rights conferred to the disabled under the said act is absolute, and failure to comply with the provision in the act shall be penalised.

The manifesto should also cover the importance to provide accessible pre-schools, primary schools, secondary schools and universities to ensure students with disabilities can excel in education without having accessibility issue as an obstacle to excel in education/life.

In so far as the manifesto concerned, the Barisan team has covered the needs of all walks of people in this country with special attention given to the less unfortunate, like people with disabilities.

I sincerely hope that the needs of people with disabilities will be given the rightful attention by those who have been given the mandate to form the government to ensure integration and development of the people with disabilities which comprises 10% of the nation’s population.

The writer is president of Damai Disabled Persons Association 

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