LETTER | Set up special fund to ease plight of disabled people

LETTER | It is time the government initiates a fund to cope with the increasing number of disabled persons to ease the suffering and hardship of this underprivileged community. 

A few days ago Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob in a meaningful gesture had stated that 1 percent of public sector jobs will be reserved for disabled persons. The PM's mission and vision for this allocation to become a reality is laudable and appreciated. 

Considering the large number of disabled persons and the meagre payments from the Social Welfare Department they receive, they cannot fully depend on handouts for their special needs. 

The government has been doing much for the disabled by ensuring that they can use public transport, ensuring offices and buildings have ramps for easy access, reserving parking lots in busy areas and providing many other incentives and privileges.

The corporate sector too can complement the efforts of the government by employing more disabled people for certain jobs such as security guards, receptionists, janitors, supervisors and many others. 

Business opportunities too can be provided for them to make a living. Special training can be provided and paid for by the fund. Those interested in starting small enterprises can apply for loans from it as well. 

Banks could be hesitant to provide loans to the disabled, but many of the disabled are talented, creative, hardworking and show a high level of perseverance - as can be seen in the Paralympics - to overcome their plight and Malaysia must fully use their talent.

Different types of disabilities 

Even though congenital disability has been reduced due to Malaysia's excellent pre and postnatal medical care, the number of disabled persons is rising due to factors such as motor and industrial accidents, diabetic amputations of limbs, old age-related ailments, blindness due to disease, cardio-vascular diseases resulting in strokes, deformities in children due to child abuse and malnutrition, and mental stress. 

The total number of people affected in these categories could be in the thousands and most of these people are adults. Many could be wheelchair-bound. Some are rendered physically and mentally disabled in their prime of life due to some unfortunate accident, which leads to a huge socio-economic loss for the nation. 

The government has to incur large expenditures for disabled persons but it is still not enough. The rich can afford maids and private medical care but the M40 and B40 are unable to afford the expenses in the long run and would like the government to assist them.

Technological advancements in prosthetics have aided disabled persons to live quite normal lives but the cost of these artificial replacements is high. Some are aided by the Social Security Organisation (Socso) and legal compensation from motor accidents. 

Most people who apply for social welfare aid are dissatisfied with the small amount disbursed compared to their needs. A special fund can partly solve the problem. For a start, an allocation of RM100 million can be allocated in the next budget and be continued annually. 

The fund is capable of snowballing through contributions from the corporate sector as part of its corporate social responsibility. The Employees Provident Fund, Socso, Petronas, insurance firms, philanthropists, business and religious associations can contribute to increase the fund. Part of the windfall tax can be diverted for the disabled fund as well.

Don't lump aid together 

The poor and the disabled are different and the Social Welfare Department must separate the two. The disabled should be disbursed through a separate allocation. 

The disabled are in a separate category and it is not because of poverty. They need the money for their special needs and therefore allocation for them should be kept separate. 

When the poor and the disabled are combined as at present neither of them gets a sufficient amount. When the latter apply for aid the application should focus on their degree of disability only and not on whether they are poor or not. The aid or subsidy should be for them only. 

Through this procedure, they can get better financial assistance based on their particular disability. The poor, the unemployed, the sick, single parents and others needing financial help can be placed in a separate category.

It is good that the government has grasped the magnitude of the problem faced by disabled people. With life expectancy increasing the number of people rendered disabled by old age and illness will accelerate in the future to a stage where a certain percentage of the people will be considered disabled, physically or mentally challenged. 

The government needs to be prepared for this eventuality by planning ahead and setting up a fund or taking other steps to deal with the increasing expenditure.

Don't forget senior citizens  

Another problem that is snowballing is of senior citizens without any financial means of support. 

A social pension for the senior citizens in the B40 and some M40 should be considered. These senior citizens have given the best years of their lives for our nation-building and they should not be left in the lurch unsupported during their last days. 

Presently, only government employees get a pension. The plight of single parents too has become acute as can be seen by the shocking number of divorces in the country and the government will have to help especially the children of these broken families, some of whom end up as disabled due to injury and abuse.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.